Soulmates
by Venus Smurf
Summary: To save the world, Mina has walked away from everything she loved. MinaMal, GeneralsSenshi
1. Hunter

**A.N.: **I apologize for taking so long to get this up, but I've been having more issues with this chapter than anyone but my poor, abused beta (the brilliant and probably very-sick-of-me Magician) will ever realize. I'm still not wholly satisfied with it, but please remember why you read my stuff in the first place, and try not to flame me too badly! It'll pick up and get better soon, I hope.

**Relevant Story Info: **For those of you who don't know, this story is the sequel to my other fic, "Roommates." I guess it might not be 100 percent necessary for you to read the first fic, but I'd recommend it. For those of you who wish to try anyway, I've included a brief recap of the first story.

Oh, and Reader Responses for the final chapter of RM are at the bottom. Don't forget to look for your names!

**Brief Recap of RM: **Malachite moves in with Mina, a very odd girl with more secrets than he can even imagine. Though Mal thinks Mina is both certifiably crazy and irritating beyond belief, the two of them eventually start falling for each other. Soon enough, however, Mina's secrets—and her resurfacing memories of their past lives and past deaths—get in the way of their burgeoning relationship, and Mina takes off just as Mal starts getting a few clues into his own past. A millennial old enemy also chooses this time to resurface, and even as Malachite begins searching the world for the enigmatic love of his life, Mina is thrown into a desperate quest to save all she holds dear.

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"Soulmates"

By Venus Smurf

CHAPTER ONE: Hunter

She prowled through the darkness, through empty, dimly lit city streets. She moved swiftly, silently, and not even the sharpest eyes could have seen her go. Her slender body had merged into the shadows pooling between trees and buildings, completely disappearing in spite of the white and gold uniform she wore, in spite of the bright shine of her blonde hair. Her entire body was taut with anticipation, and her golden eyes darted back and forth, searching for something nobody else would ever see.

She felt as though she had always been part of the shadows, always alone, always the hunter. She could only dimly remember a time when she'd had friends, companions. She had always been this way, it seemed, though technically she would have needed only one hand to count the number of months that had passed since she'd come to this place, since she'd abandoned her loved ones for a fight she'd never wanted any part of herself. She wondered, often, if the time seemed as long to them as it had to her, and if she'd been gone long enough for them to forgive her for leaving at all.

A door opened, not far away, and she froze, listening intently to the footsteps that came from somewhere behind her. She forced herself not to turn around, not to do anything that might reveal her presence. Was this an enemy? She frowned, still listening, and then decided that it wasn't. Whoever this was, he or she was moving in the opposite direction, and so could be safely dismissed. Besides, her real enemy, she knew, was in one of the office buildings in front of her.

She sighed as she turned back to her original watch, keeping the sound soft enough that it wouldn't be heard. It was difficult, she decided absently, being both hunter and prey. She was always looking over her shoulder, now, watching for the ones she knew would come after her sooner or later, but at the same time, she was also trying to look ahead for the enemies she herself was hunting. It was tiring, to say the least, because while she normally would have relished the challenge, the price she'd paid even to be here was far too high to make this anything but a punishment.

The door from behind had long since slammed shut again, but she didn't allow herself to relax until after the footsteps of whoever had come out had faded away entirely. Satisfied that her initial assessment had been correct, she went back to her solitary watch. The minutes stretched out while she waited, as did the silence, and she found herself frowning with impatience. Was it even worthwhile, her being here? She didn't know. She might be wasting her time, with this. Then again, what else could she do? In all the months she'd been here, this was the first real lead she'd had. Her enemies had been quiet since she'd left Tokyo for London, though she assumed it was only because they were still gathering their forces, or perhaps because they didn't yet know where she was. They were staying hidden, as she was, and it had been sheer chance that she'd found this particular opponent at all. If he hadn't brushed by her on the sidewalk one morning, if she hadn't realized just what it was that she had encountered, she would still be running around the city, delving into the worst it had to offer as she tried to find any clues that might help her.

Another door opened, this time in the right building, and she tensed again, wondering if her enemy was finally going to make an appearance. She wished he would; she'd been tracking this one for a solid week now, and so far she had nothing to show for her efforts. He was still an enigma to her, for all that she'd been trailing behind him for so long. She didn't know what his motives were, didn't know what he was supposed to be accomplishing. He'd done nothing, in the last seven days, to indicate that he was anything but completely human. Only his gait gave him away, told her that she hadn't been wrong about him or about what he was. She'd learned, before she'd left her home, that her enemies did not walk with the steady tread of the humans, or with the lighter grace of her own kind. Their steps skipped and lurched, and were heavier than they should have been. A human might not have noticed the difference, but she did.

She noticed everything.

The door was still open, and while she had yet to see anyone come through, she tried to press herself deeper into the shadows. Her first impulse had been to jump out, attack this thing while she still had the element of surprise, but she forced herself to remain hidden, knowing that it was infinitely more important to wait and see if he would betray himself or his cause. So she stayed where she was, went against her own nature and did nothing. She simply frowned into the darkness, eyes narrowing as she tried to see the face of her enemy.

The light spilling out from the doorway changed as a man finally stepped through, and her normally full lips thinned with distaste. The man's back was to her as he pulled the door shut again and then slid a key into the lock, and while he was doing nothing out of the ordinary, he could not have hidden what he was. His body, if nothing else, gave him away; this man was a little too tall to be human, a little too thin. Even from here she could see that his body was gaunt, almost skeletal. Had he been human, he couldn't have been this thin and survived, and she wondered again why he seemed to think he could pass himself off as one.

The man—or whatever he was—had been standing in front of the doorway just long enough to make his hunter's impatience grow, but now he spun, pocketing his key and pivoting on one heel with a strange sort of lanky grace that did nothing at all to hide the unnaturalness of his body. Then, without so much as the briefest of glances into the darkness behind him, he turned and walked in the opposite direction. He didn't seem to suspect that he was being watched, didn't seem to notice the young woman now slipping from her shadows to follow him. He didn't notice anything, and that only made her more suspicious. How could he _not_ know she was here? He might not be able to read her mind, but he should have sensed _something _of her presence.

She'd expected better. Her enemies were capable of so many things—reading minds, creating monsters out of nothing more than their own energy, living forever just by feeding on the darker emotions of others—that she'd automatically assumed their senses would be as above average as the rest of their abilities. They'd had time to perfect themselves, over the centuries, time to hone their sight and hearing until even the slight movement of air sweeping in and out of her lungs should have alerted them. And yet, as far as she could tell, their senses were nothing special, possibly only the equal of a typical human's. She was almost disappointed, at that, because if she'd had to give up her home and her loved ones for this, she would at least have liked her enemies to be a challenge.

Not that being at war with an unknown number of alien mind-leeches she couldn't even find wasn't a challenge…

She told herself that maybe she should just be grateful for the peace. Her months spent fruitlessly searching for this enemy might have been beyond frustrating, but at least she'd had time to think things through for herself. She'd had time to make plans, to make choices. She'd been able to reflect and regain her composure, and even if her thoughts hadn't been particularly pleasant, she should still be grateful for that.

Only she wasn't. Of course she wasn't.

It was late, far past the hour when any taxis or buses might be running, but the walk didn't seem to bother her prey. His pace was steady, even languid, and he still had not noticed the slender figure darting from shadow to shadow just a few feet behind him. She trailed in his wake for several blocks, a pit of doubt growing in her stomach. Something, she thought uneasily, was not right. She knew, by now, that this not-human had taken an apartment in the other direction of wherever it was he was now going. He should not have been traveling this way, at least not this late at night, when every business was already closed and every rational person in bed. What was he up to?

She saw the trap long before it actually came, though she was still a little annoyed with herself for not realizing what would happen even sooner than she did. The man still had not turned around or given any indication that he knew she was there, but then he suddenly ducked into an alleyway, one that, after so many months of prowling this city and committing every building and every street to memory, she knew perfectly well did not lead anywhere. There was nothing in that alleyway but dirty, crumpled cardboard boxes, a few years' worth of trash and possibly a few stray cats. There was nothing there for anyone, so why was this man turning, disappearing into this space between the two buildings?

"Oh, please," she muttered under her breath, keeping her words just as soft as her sigh had been. "Does he really think I'm _that _stupid? And what is it with these guys and alleyways?" She sighed again, briefly wondering if she should just turn and walk away, leave this confrontation for another night. She really didn't see any purpose in walking right into his trap—she assumed that was his reason for coming here—or in getting attacked by whatever followers he'd arranged to have waiting for her inside. Then again, she thought tiredly, if she was truly lucky, he might be planning to attack her himself. It was entirely possible that he was stupid enough to take her on alone…or maybe he was just arrogant enough to believe he could actually win. Either way, she could beat him into the ground and still be home before dawn.

And even if the fight wasn't as easy as all that, she mused, a spark of interest flaring in her golden eyes, it might still be fun. After an entire week of toddling along after him with nothing to show for herself, she was ready for a little action.

She was still grinning as she ducked into the alley after her prey, the fierce anticipation in her golden eyes and the sheer grace of her movements the only concessions to her own inhumanity. And yet, as she moved slowly, cautiously into the tight space her enemy had chosen for their fight, the grin faded, stifled by the heavy, more-than-slightly smelly atmosphere in this corridor. Something about this still didn't sit right with her, and besides, even_ she_ couldn't maintain any real enthusiasm in a place as disgusting as this, especially when she knew the one waiting for her didn't exactly want to become her new best friend.

The young woman moved deeper into the alley, treading carefully to avoid the less savory items currently rotting on the ground beneath her. She found herself deciding that while her enemy might or might not be very bright, he'd at least chosen his battlefield well. There was very little room for movement, in this alleyway, and that couldn't possibly be a good thing, even for someone used to fighting in all conditions, as she was. It was also much darker than she'd expected it to be. Her foe wouldn't be able to see her all that well, but the lack of light affected her, too. She would have to rely a little more on her other senses, even to find him, and the knowledge that she would essentially be fighting blind was not something she appreciated.

There was also the fact that this man was unknown to her, in so many ways, and she didn't know how he would come after her. She'd only ever fought three of his kind—and one of those hadn't really counted—so while she had some vague idea of what to expect, anything was possible. She sighed, what little willingness she'd retained draining away from her with that thought. Facing down a man she couldn't see with powers she didn't know how to counter was somehow not as appealing as she'd initially thought it would be. Was it too late to turn around and go home? She could take a nice hot bath, get to bed a little earlier than she usually did. Would that be so bad? Of course, the enemy was on to her now, so backing down wasn't really an option anymore. He'd be more careful, after tonight, and if she didn't fight him now, the past week really _would_ be a completely wasted effort.

Not worth that, she thought, and continued walking.

Her eyes had adjusted a little already, but she still couldn't see properly, and she hated that, if for no other reason than that she couldn't always avoid stepping on the rotted whatever-it-was on the ground. Still, there was nothing she could do about either the lack of light or the gunk on her shoes, and she swallowed her irritation quickly enough. Soldiers, she knew, didn't complain about things they had absolutely no control over. There wouldn't be any point in it, and, in any case, this wasn't the time. She'd found him, now, her other senses picking up the slack left by her nearly useless eyes. She could hear him breathing, could hear the scrape of a foot against the cement as he shifted his weight in his impatience. She could feel his eyes on her, too, could feel the hot anger that must have been smoldering in his expression, and she knew she had to pay attention or she would quite literally be killed. She turned her head to the side, moving slowly enough that he wouldn't notice, scanning for anything else that might either help or hinder her. She found nothing.

At least he's alone, she thought a little sourly and more than a little sarcastically. I'll never get the smell of this garbage out of my hair, and I might just have to burn my shoes, but nobody can say I'm not lucky. It's proof of my good luck, that he's alone.

The slender blonde tilted her head from side to side again, still trying not to be obvious about it. She might not have thought very highly of her opponent, but her every nerve ending was on fire with awareness, her muscles tensed in anticipation of the attack even though the man hadn't yet moved. One hand reached carefully towards the sword at her waist, her fingers flexing in the space just above the hilt. She forced herself not to draw the weapon just yet, knowing it would only alert the enemy to the fact that she was expecting the fight that was to come, and her lips twisted into a tight frown.

The man was finally inching forward, his movements just as slow and cautious as her own had been. She could sense that his eyes were still trained on her, or at least on whatever outline of her he could see in spite of the darkness. She glanced at him, moving her eyes to him and back again quickly enough that he wouldn't notice, and then her frown intensified. She hadn't seen any weapons on the man, but she knew how little that really meant. Her last opponent had created a sort of giant acid monster using just his energy and a few choice words, and she really wasn't in the mood to deal with something like that again. That monster had almost defeated her, actually, and she still had the scars on her back from where it had struck her. She didn't need a repeat of that particular fight, and she certainly didn't need any more scars.

She bit her lip, eyes narrowing as she finally allowed her fingers to close on the hilt of her crystal sword. She pulled the weapon from its sheath, a few of her doubts instantly disappearing once the blade was safely in her hand. Her weapon was something she understood, and it gave her confidence, knowing she could always resort to purely physical violence if she had to. Decapitating her opponents, for instance, was something that had worked well in the past, even if it wasn't a tactic she liked to use, and this sword of hers was perfect for that.

The man's hearing might not have been what she'd expected, but he obviously hadn't missed the sound of her blade coming free, because he didn't wait any longer to attack. He leapt at her, moving a lot faster than any human could ever have, his hands outstretched as though he planned to wrap his fingers around her throat and simply choke the life from her. Of course, Mina was prepared for the swiftness of his strike, and she certainly had no intention of letting him get near enough to strangle her, so that hardly bothered her. She only frowned, waiting a fraction of a second for him to get a _little_ closer, and then dropped to the ground and lashed out with her sword. She aimed for his knees, knowing perfectly well that he would see her counter-attack in time to dodge but also knowing it would throw him off balance and put him right where she wanted him.

The tactic worked perfectly. He saw the blade coming at him, and he jerked his body a little to the side, just enough that her weapon would miss his skin. And just as she'd planned, the movement took away some of his speed, some of his accuracy. He needed only a split second to recover, but that split second was all_ she_ needed to move in for a second blow. She sidestepped his attack, twisting her body around until she was almost behind him. Her eyes were surprisingly grim as she brought her sword arm up and then down again, twisting her wrist so the flat of the blade, rather than the edge, would meet his spine. It cracked against his back, enough force in the blow to send him sprawling to the ground. His forehead impacted the cement as his body collapsed, his head jerking back hard enough that she thought he might have broken his neck. At the very least, he was out cold.

Talk about disappointing. She wasn't even tired, after that, but he was already down. No challenge at all…

The young woman with the sword walked over to him, keeping her blade out in case he was only pretending to be unconscious and she had to chop off his head after all. Her eyes roved over his inert body, checking for signs of life, checking for injuries. She pulled back after only a moment, though, satisfied that the blow to his head had been enough to eliminate the threat but not to snap his neck. If she decided to let him wake up, she mused, he'd probably have the mother or all concussions. She hadn't killed him, but then she hadn't exactly been gentle, either, and the man was bound to be in pain.

She bit her lip, crouched down beside the man. Caution, of course, kept her a few inches away from his body, and it kept her sword stretched as a razor-edged barrier between them. "That," she said, no longer bothering to keep her voice down but remaining tensed in case the man defied all expectations and opened his eyes again, "was way too easy."

A soft chuckle echoed through the alleyway from behind her, and while it held no humor and so was not exactly a pleasing sound, it was familiar enough that the young woman didn't even bother to turn around. "They don't make enemies like they used to," the blonde murmured softly, speaking to the newcomer even though she hadn't lifted her eyes from her fallen opponent. "One swipe, Sets, and he was down." She frowned again, her sword arm now becoming so lax that the tip of the blade was trailing in the dirt. "This guy was either a real amateur, or I've attacked the wrong person. Why didn't he put up a better fight?"

The woman standing behind her was silent for a moment, considering. She didn't seem at all surprised to find this young woman in this place, didn't seem surprised to see the crystal sword in the girl's hand or the thin man sprawled at her feet. "Maybe he didn't know who you are, Mina," she finally said, "and he didn't think he needed to. He probably only attacked you because he knew you were following him, not because he realized you were a senshi."

The blonde girl—Mina—only shook her head, not quite buying that but also unable to think of a better explanation. "Maybe," she said, giving a noncommittal grunt. "That still doesn't explain why I beat him so easily. I expected more."

Mina shrugged, finally glancing over her shoulder to the woman standing patiently behind her. She was a tall woman, with a strong, beautiful face and an elegant bearing. Her expression, however, was stern, her berry-colored eyes completely empty of warmth. She gazed at Mina, one dark eyebrow arching in question. "What will you do with him?"

The blonde shrugged again, not at all concerned by the lack of friendliness. She knew Setsuna was as much Mina's friend as she could be anyone's, and she knew the taller woman was only hiding her real emotions out of habit alone. "I don't know," she replied. "I don't want to take him as a prisoner or anything like that, but I can't exactly kill him, either. At least," she amended, grinning suddenly, "I can't kill him _yet_, not until he's told me what I want to know." She paused, features twisting thoughtfully. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, Sets," she said. "We'll take him with us. Maybe he can tell us why he's here, or at least tell us something more about his people. He might even be useful."

The other woman cocked her head to one side, eyes pensive but still emotionless. "You know he won't give us anything willingly," she remarked quietly. "You might have to…persuade him, Mina. Can you do that?"

Mina nodded again, her own expression just as empty as her companion's and not revealing anything of her uneasiness. "I'll do what I have to, Sets," she said. "Don't I always?"

The other woman didn't reply.

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**Reader Responses:**

**The Setra Prince: **If it makes you feel any better, that cliffie kind of annoyed me, too. I hope you stay with me, though, because I always love hearing from you.

And, to answer, your question…well, I can't answer your question. Raye's little errand will be explained later, though.

**Koosei: **Can't tell you. It'd give away too much, I think. If you're really that antsy about it, though, I can tell you to go with your third hunch, that Serena is being fooled but still knows more than the others. Thanks for reading, and I hope you stick with me!

**Lupita: **Well, I'm just glad you reviewed at all. It's always nice to hear from people who like what I write!

**JadesRose: **I'm truly sorry about that. Maybe I should have put the names into alphabetical order or something, but that was just too daunting a task for little ol' me. Know, however, that I could never, ever, forget _you_. Your reviews mean too much to me, as does your opinion. I could never leave you out of anything.

I'm always glad to hear from you, and I hope you still want to read the sequel in spite of this not-so-great beginning. And, yes, your words always make perfect sense, which is why I value your opinion so much. You're a talented individual, you know, so anything you say to me can only encourage/help me.

You suggested that I read SM: Interrupted Ambitions, but I wasn't able to find it. Maybe I'm just stupid, but who is the author? I'll definitely check that and your own story out as soon as I have time.

**Ocianne: **I'm not complaining. I'm just glad you're able to read at all. It really does mean a lot to me.

I thank you for your comments. Yes, my story did tend to 'meander,' and I'm glad you care enough to point that out. I hope you maintain that honesty about my fic in the future, because frankly I need all the help I can get.

As for your comments about the other senshi, I can only say that this is not a fic oriented on anyone but Mal and Mina. The other senshi only get cameo roles in this fic, and I'm sorry if you don't like that. I don't mean to make them sound useless, really I don't. I'll try to stop that.

And you never ramble. Your opinion is valuable, to me, and I love hearing from you. Thanks for all the support you've given me!

**Sailor V-Babe: **Wow. Talk about encouragement! What would I ever do without you? Thank _you _for all the support you've given me. From someone as talented as yourself, the fact that you like what I write means more to me than you will ever know.

**Tema Krempley: **A bestseller? Wow. That's one of the best compliments I've ever been given! You're so sweet!

And I thank you for the comments. If it makes you feel any better, I've never yet written a fic that didn't have a happy ending. Thanks for reviewing!

**Adyen: **Yes, there is a need to thank you. You've been a wonderful source of support for me, and I always loved hearing from you. Everything you say is so intelligent and insightful, and that just makes your comments mean that much more to me. I hope to keep hearing from you, because your reviews always make my day.

Hey, if you can tell me how to link my story onto my emails, I'll do it. I'm just a little too computer illiterate and haven't figured out how yet. Any ideas?

**Sassy-Chan: **Well, you didn't review on the actual story, but you've let me know what you think in your emails to me, so I'm gonna count that. I thank you, Sass, for your support and encouragement and blind devotion. You're a wonderful friend, and I always loved hearing from you.


	2. To the Bat Cave

**A.N.:** Sorry that it took me so long to get this out, people. My grandfather broke his back last week, and I've been a little preoccupied with that. (He'll be fine, though.)

**Relevant Story Info: **FYI, I'll be ignoring any flames that I get for this chapter. I know it's not my best, but I wanted to get all of those pesky little details about Mina's surroundings out all at once. My goal accomplished, I truly don't think it'll happen again. Also, I freely admit that I know _nothing _about London, so try not to yell too much when and if I make any geographic or cultural mistakes.

And, hey, I'm still trying to find a section break that will appear when I post. This 123 thing is bugging the crap out of me. Any suggestions?

Finally, I wanted to remind everybody that I keep a list of how far I am with upcoming chapters on my bio page. I don't mind having so many people ask if I've worked on my stories yet this month, but my inbox is getting kind of full.

Usual disclaimers yada yada yada…

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CHAPTER TWO: To the Bat Cave

He watched them, the tall woman and her slender companion, the thin man lying unconscious at the blonde's feet. The tall one was gripping a staff she hadn't had a moment before, murmuring a few words under her breath, and an even taller arch appeared out of nothing, suddenly existing where only empty space had been. Purple and black energy flickered in the vortex between the frames, and he stared at it for a moment, fascinated. Was this, then, the fabled Gate of Time? He'd grown up with the tales, had heard them from his cradle, in fact, but even he wouldn't have guessed that the thing would be so…unnerving. The energy of the Gate seemed vaguely sinister, though of course the two women weren't affected by that. They only turned, each of them pausing to grasp the heavy limbs of the unconscious man, lifting him awkwardly. They began moving towards the Gate, voices stilled and expressions grave, balancing the fallen man between them.

He continued watching long after they had slipped through, their bodies sinking into the energy as easily as if it wasn't even there. Maybe they truly hadn't noticed it or felt it, though every story he'd ever heard about the Gate implied that crossing into this energy was beyond painful. Perhaps the senshi were too powerful to feel it, or to show their pain if they did. Perhaps the pain had only been part of the myth. He didn't really know which it was, and, come to that, he didn't really care.

The Gate faded the instant they were through, but the man in the shadows remained where he was, staring almost blankly at the place where they had been. She was, he found himself thinking, even more beautiful than he'd remembered. She'd been a school girl the last time he'd seen her, insecure and untried, but now she was so much more than that. She had become a woman, with a woman's grace and a woman's strength, and all of it augmented by her power as a senshi. He shook his head, smiling ruefully. She was also, he mused, a woman he still desired. For all that had passed between them, for all that he knew of her and all that he himself was, the love he had carried for her over two lifetimes hadn't faded in the least.

That could be a problem.

He sighed, pushing away from the ledge he'd been leaning against while he watched her, turning to find the exit that would take him away from this rooftop. He glanced around once, ensuring that he was not being watched, being careful to keep himself as much in the shadows as possible in case he'd been spotted after all. He began to walk away, satisfied that he had at least located Venus, not yet willing to do anything more, but just as suddenly stopped and darted back to his ledge, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he peered over into the alleyway beneath. His features hardened as the movement that had caught his attention came a second time, and he stared into the darkness until his suspicions were confirmed. Someone—or more likely _something_—he realized, was moving in the alleyway where his love had been, slinking from shadow to shadow as no human could or would. It was pausing now and again, and he suspected that it was retracing Venus' steps and her battle with her enemy.

Was Venus aware that she'd been followed? He shook his head, not knowing her well enough anymore to decide if she had. He didn't think she would have left an enemy behind like this or ignored one she knew was watching her, but then he never had been able to predict what she would do or say, and after all it had been a decade since he'd last fought beside her. He didn't know how much she had changed, in that decade, didn't know what she'd gone through, what she'd remembered or how any of it would affect her decisions in this life. He didn't know her at all anymore, though he wasn't quite willing to admit that maybe he never had.

Whatever Minako might be up to, he knew she had to be warned. Her use of the Gate didn't mean she couldn't be followed, and he wasn't about to risk her safety like that. She had to know that her enemies were onto her, had to know that she wasn't being quite as careful as she needed to be…and she had to know that he was here, that she had someone who cared about her and was willing to help her. She had to know she wasn't as alone as she likely believed she was.

He grinned to himself, his eyes suddenly lighting with excitement. Not even the knowledge that she was in danger could dampen his enthusiasm over this long overdue meeting between himself and his love, though he also realized that she probably wouldn't be all that happy to see him. Then again, he mused, he'd just have to convince her that he wasn't as bad as she believed, convince her that he was all she needed. "You won't get away from me this time, Princess," he whispered as, still grinning, he turned and fled back into the darkness.

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The Gate of Time had never been subject to the laws of physics, and the two women were able to cross the city in less than an instant. Setsuna's power carried them all the way across London, to the outskirts of the city and then into the ramshackle, two-story house Mina had purchased three months before. The Gate released them just inside, the two women slipping through the magic with ease and immediately dumping their burden on the floor of what was now Mina's living room. The thin man was still unconscious, but Mina didn't waste any time finding a bit of rope to bind his hands and feet. That done, she and Setsuna dragged him over to a chair, looping the extra rope around the wood to keep the man in place should he wake up.

Mina hadn't said a word since they'd left the alleyway, but now she cast a critical eye over her work. "That'll do for now," she announced, "but eventually we'll need something more secure. This guy could be a lot stronger than he looks, and I don't want to take any chances." She sighed, reaching up with one weary hand to push the hair from her eyes, and then glanced at her friend. "Okay, partner," she began, giving a faint smile that did nothing to dispel her obvious fatigue, "what do you suggest I do with him? This place wasn't exactly built to be a prison."

She didn't wait for the answer she didn't expect Setsuna to give, and instead glanced around, eyes hooded and dubious. It was a bare, soulless place, her home, at least in comparison to the comfortable luxury of her old apartment. She didn't have any pictures on these walls, didn't have so much as a rug to cover the wooden floors. She didn't even have much furniture, and what she did have was hardly what anyone would call sturdy. She'd picked up most of it from garage sales, not really caring if the items she bought matched anything she already had, not caring if the pieces would last longer than a few months. Most of it very obviously wouldn't, actually, and that included the chair she'd tied her captive to. If the thin man struggled even a little, the thing would fall apart and he would be free. She really needed to find a better place for him.

In spite of the distant expression on Setsuna's face, the senshi of Time must have been considering Mina's question, after all, because she suddenly grunted, calling the blonde's attention back to herself. "Why not put him upstairs?" the taller senshi asked. "He'll be out of the way—and there's nothing up there that he can use to escape."

It was true enough. As empty as this room was, the rest of the house was even worse. It had been an old building long before Mina had decided to buy it, but the girl had expressed absolutely no desire to make improvements or even to use most of it. With the exception of those rooms she absolutely needed—kitchen, bathroom, bedroom—the bulk of the house wasn't even furnished. It remained empty and neglected, and while she seemed to prefer it that way, maybe it was time to put that extra space to use. It would be easy enough to convert one of the spare bedrooms into a prison, she mused. She might have to call in a few favors, but that was hardly important.

Mina nodded, quickly accepting her companion's suggestion. "Sounds good to me," she said, already turning to find her telephone. "We'll have to fix it up, though—bars on the windows, at the very least. I don't want him escaping." She picked up the phone, reaching out with one slender hand to dial the numbers that, by now, she knew by heart. "You watch him," she commanded rather airily. "I'll take care of the rest."

And she did. Just because she hadn't been able to find her enemies until now didn't mean she'd wasted her months in London. She'd used the time to make contacts, to introduce herself to the sort of people a soldier would find useful. They weren't all good people—some of them were definitely thieves, and some were worse than that. None were even remotely honest, and most of them didn't pretend to be. Mina didn't trust a single one of her contacts, but then she needed their skills too much for that to be a real deterrent. These were individuals who used the black market as most would use the grocery store, who skirted the law on a regular basis and took pleasure from it. They could get her whatever she needed whenever she needed it, though always for a price, and there'd already been times when she'd put them to use. This would just be another one of those times.

It was still technically the middle of the night, but that hardly mattered to the kind of people Mina was calling. This was their best time, frankly, and they barely grumbled at all when Mina asked them to come to her. They arrived in very little time, slipped quietly upstairs and did as she bid them. They were silent and efficient, best of all discreet, and they had disappeared again long before dawn came. They'd left nothing behind but the aforementioned bars on the windows, extra locks on the doors and a new dent in Mina's savings. And, no questions asked, they'd set bolts into the floors and walls, places where Mina could chain her prisoner in place. It was as secure a dungeon as anything could be.

Mina returned to Setsuna, a grim smile twisting her lips as the two of them carried the unconscious man to his new resting place. They laid him on the floor, Setsuna barely arching an eyebrow as she saw the changes to the room. Mina ignored her, focusing instead on her prisoner. She bent, reaching out for the heavy chains one of her contacts had left for her, locking them over his ankles and arms, then attaching them to the hooks on the floor. She took another moment to test the chains with her own strength, knowing that if _she _couldn't break the ties, her captive couldn't, either. When the chains proved stronger than she was, the slender girl turned back to her companion. "There's nothing more I can do until he wakes up," she admitted softly, the expression on her face too innocent for a girl who had essentially become a jailor, who planned to become a torturer. "Trying to get anything out of him now would be worse than pointless. Still," she said, standing and brushing invisible dirt from her hands, "there'll be time enough for that tomorrow. It's more important that you get some rest. Go home, Sets."

It wasn't a suggestion, and the taller woman nodded, though her eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion. "You're tired, too, Mina," she murmured a little harshly. "If I leave, how can I know for certain that you'll also stop for the night?" She glared at the blonde. "I know you too well, Mina. You're going to keep pushing yourself until there's nothing left of you."

Mina shrugged, somehow dismissing Setsuna's concern without being offensive about it. "I'm not a fool, Sets," she retorted. "I know what my breaking point is, and even though I haven't come even close to reaching it, I still know when to quit." She smiled tiredly at her friend, trying to ease the faint shadow of worry in the other woman's eyes. "I just have to check on a few things, and then I'm off to bed. No worries, Setsuna."

That must have satisfied the senshi of Time, because the woman suddenly turned and disappeared back through the bedroom door. Mina paused for a moment, listening to her footsteps on the wooden floors, sensing the small flash of power as Setsuna summoned her Gate. Then, as silence descended once more upon the house, Mina sighed and left her prisoner alone. She, too, meandered down the stairs, heading back through her living room, down another hallway to the plain wooden door that had once led to a simple human basement. The slender blonde woman turned the handle on that door, pulled it open and slipped into the darkness beyond, never once feeling the pair of cold blue eyes watching her go.

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Mina's house must once have been beautiful, elegant, costly. It must once have been the pride of London society, but that had changed long ago. When Mina had first purchased the place—at Setsuna's suggestion, of course—it had looked as though a strong wind might cause it to collapse. Doors had been falling from their hinges, floorboards creeping ominously with every step Mina took. The entire place creaked and groaned like a thing alive, and Mina could understand why nobody had ever wanted it, before her. She just couldn't understand why it hadn't been torn down ages ago. All the other houses that had once surrounded it were already gone, replaced by warehouses and the like. The entire street was dead.

It was perfect.

Mina had wanted a house that would be isolated, and this certainly was that. The warehouses now lining the street were rarely opened during the day and never at night, and except for the occasional worker bringing goods to the buildings, nobody ever came out this far. Mina could come and go as she pleased, safe from the prying eyes and curious neighbors that might have plagued her if she'd lived anywhere else. Her enemies would never think to look for her here—nobody would, really—and for that alone, this dilapidated old house was ideal.

Then there was the basement, the real reason Mina had wanted this place. In all her years of fighting, with all the enemies she'd faced, Mina had always been limited by her lack of resources, of knowledge. She'd never been able to track her opponents, had never been able to do much more than simply wait for the attack and then do her best to respond. She'd been always on the defensive, essentially crippled in every battle. It was a dangerous way to fight, and she'd vowed that this time things would be different. This time, _she _would be the hunter, the first to strike. She would be organized, efficient. She would learn the way her enemies worked, learn the way they thought…and then she would destroy them.

The basement was part of that. She'd known, from the first moment she'd seen it, that she'd found her headquarters. For whatever reason, this basement was far deeper than most, the walls much thicker than they needed to be. Mina didn't know what had caused these structural anomalies—she suspected Setsuna, naturally, though she hadn't really cared enough to ask—but she'd wasted no time in exploiting them. She and Setsuna had carefully selected an army of workmen and engineers, given them the task of turning this simple basement into an underground fortress. It had cost a fortune, of course, and it had taken forever, but in the end, even Mina had been satisfied. More rooms had been added to the first, each made impenetrable from the outside by layers of tempered steel coating the walls, ceilings and floors. Nothing human—or more than human—could get through. And even if one of her enemies possessed the strength or the knowledge to break in, they'd never get past all of the security systems. Mina doubted that anyone could, without knowing the codes. This place had more alarms and defenses than the American's infamous Fort Knox…or the Bat Cave, which is what Mina had started calling it.

It was an engineering and technological marvel, her Bat Cave, and Mina had taken it even further with the equipment she'd installed. She'd filled her subterranean stronghold with surveillance equipment, with weapons and computers and everything else she might need. There was even a full medical lab, though Mina had added that only as an afterthought. Even if she did get hurt enough to require medical attention, she'd reasoned, she wasn't a doctor. She wouldn't know how to use most of what she'd included in her medical inventory, but she'd also decided that it _might _come in handy one day, and that was enough to justify the extra expense.

And yet, in spite of everything the Bat Cave was, in spite of everything she could do with it, it wasn't enough. The medical lab and the weapons wouldn't help her when she couldn't even find her enemy, and she was painfully aware of that. She also knew that not even the state-of-the-art surveillance or tracking systems she'd installed could help her find the one being she needed most in this universe, the one being she'd spent the last few months searching for and who was infinitely more important than all of her enemies combined.

It couldn't help her find Artemis.

She missed her feline guardian and father figure, so much so that she sometimes wondered if her heart would shatter without him. He had always been an unwavering source of support, the voice of reason when the events in Mina's life had been completely without reason. He'd been her conscience, and now he had left her. Artemis had been gone for over five months, having disappeared when she'd needed him most, and although the ache of that never quite went away, she also didn't blame him for leaving. He'd realized who Malachite was the moment Mina's soulmate had walked back into her life, and he'd assumed that she'd know, too. He couldn't have realized that Mina's memories had been repressed once again, that she'd forgotten the face of her old enemy and her old love. He hadn't known that she was ignorant of the truth, and when she'd chastised Artemis for attacking Malachite that day, the cat had probably believed she was choosing her killer over her guardian. He must have been so hurt by her apparent decision that he'd left her to face the consequences on her own.

And there _had _been consequences, terrible ones. Mina hadn't realized who Malachite was until after she had fallen in love with him again, and by then it was too late to stop the heartache that would come when she did learn the truth. From the moment Malachite had walked back in her life, she'd started remembering what they had meant to each other, what they had _done_ to each other, and the shock of that had almost destroyed her. Months later, she was still trying to cope with the repercussions, with the burden of his old betrayal and her love for him. Perhaps it might not have been so bad, had Artemis been there to help her, to guide and console her. Perhaps she might not be hurting so greatly if he hadn't left her…but he had, and she'd spent the last few months trying to find him again, hoping she could convince him to come back to her. She didn't know if he would ever forgive her for the hurt she had dealt him, but that wouldn't matter at all if she couldn't find him in the first place.

Mina sighed as she slipped down the stairs and into her Cave, heading for one of the more distant rooms in this labyrinth she'd built for herself. It was a smaller room, one wall lined with computers, another with a plain wooden table that was much sturdier than any of the furniture she kept upstairs. The table was covered with files and photos, but she ignored these for now, instead walking slowly over to the computers. She reached out, tapped a few buttons on one of the keyboards. She was careful not to press anything unnecessary, bad as she was with anything electronic, and then glanced up at the monitor. A few lines of script appeared on the screen, and while it was not in any language a human would recognize, a frown appeared in her golden eyes as she scanned it. "Nothing," she muttered. "Five months, and still nothing." She bowed her head, hopelessness blurring the edges of her features, and she sighed again. "Where are you, Artemis?"

Cold blue eyes glared at her from the shadows, but she still didn't notice.

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**Reader Responses: **

**A. Lee: **Hey, I'm not complaining! If I can please you, then I know I'm doing something right. You smile blissfully as often as you want! Seriously, I'm so glad you liked it. I was kind of worried about that chapter, actually, and your words are all the encouragement I'd needed to keep going. I just adore you for being so supportive!

To answer your question, I don't know how much I'll be bringing the senshi and generals into this. They'll come back into the story eventually, of course, but probably not right away. Setsuna will be there throughout, though.

Thank you, once again, for taking the time to read my humble story. You really are wonderful!

**Transcendent: **Why thank you! I think I just made him so easy because I took so long with the last guy, but I'm glad you liked it.

"One of the best Minako centered fics of all times?" Wow. I don't think I've ever gotten a nicer compliment. You're so sweet! I don't know what I'd do without you.

I'm glad you liked it, and, no, I don't intend to drag things out so much as I did last time. Frankly, that was irritating me just as much as it irritated everybody else. I just couldn't seem to stop. Won't happen again, I hope.

Yes, it will definitely be Minako/Malachite. I don't often write other couples, and I'm certainly not about to start now. It just might be awhile before they get back together. I don't want to spoil the story line, but there's going to be more obstacles than there already are. And you will get your gushy romantic fluff, that I promise you. Just be patient!

**Koosei**You're an angel, my friend! Thank you for the compliments, and thank you for reading!

**Ocianne**Wow. This is one heck of a review! I feel special just looking at it!

As much as I'd love to have you as a beta, I understand how busy life can get. Trust me, I do…look how long it takes me to write new chapters! I never have time to just sit down and work on a story anymore.

And I'd never want you to be anything less than honest. I obviously can't fix my mistakes if people don't tell me what they are, and I depend on my readers for that.

I'm glad you don't have a problem with the amount of Mina in this fic. A lot of people tend to complain about that, though I've stated over and over again that this was never meant to be about anybody but Mina. You do have a point about the senshi, however. I guess I didn't spend as much time on their characters as I should have, though I really didn't intend to make them seem less than they are. I will try to do better in the future, and I really am grateful that you were frank with me.

I obviously adore Pluto, too. She's just interesting, if only because so little is known about her. She keeps herself aloof, and that makes her fascinating to me. Just so's you know, you'll be seeing a lot of her in this fic.

You're threatening me with an AU Pluto? I know I should be scared, but that's hilarious. You're too funny!

And yes, I'm fully aware of my tendency to draw things out too much. I really am making an effort to do better (though obviously I didn't make it in this chapter. I wanted to get all the petty little details out of the way so I wouldn't have to deal with them ever again. It made this chapter kind of unexciting, but I felt it was something I needed to do.).

Again, thanks for taking the time to comment so much on my story. I always love hearing from you!

**Sapphiregirl**Yes, and it certainly took me long enough. I'd planned many things for this sequel, but I couldn't seem to get much of it down. I was getting very frustrated.

Thanks. I needed to hear that. Your support is, as always, more appreciated than you'll ever know! I'm also glad you like my sense of humor, morbid as it is.

As for your questions, I can only say that we'll find out as we go along. I really don't have much of this story set in stone, so I'm often more in the dark than you are. We'll see what happens with the bad guys.

Truthfully? I had an idea, once upon a time, that some non-senshi would see the scars and start asking questions. I don't even remember who I'd planned that for, but I suppose I'm stuck with the idea now. Oh, well. As to her having scars at all…um, well, no real answer for that, either. I guess it's because the acid from the Blob was so bad that even she couldn't heal as well as she usually does. I'll let you know if I think of a better explanation.  
  
And thank you again! You seem to be targeting all of my insecurities and helping ease them. What would I do without you?

Setsuna showed up because she's been helping Mina. That'll become more obvious as time goes on, though I'm glad you picked up on it. Most haven't.

Yes, but Mina is particularly good at detaching herself from everything that happens to her. I agree with your assessment of her, but I still think she'd be all right as a torturer. Maybe she'll never be good in the James Bond villain kind of way, but she'll get through it.

I'm definitely interested. I've been falling behind on reading other people's stories, but I don't want that to happen with you! As soon as I have five minutes of free time, I'll definitely check it out!

Again, wonderful to hear from you. Your one of my favorite readers!

**JadesRose**That goes for two of us. Even I don't really know how this thing will end.

Mina, Minako…it doesn't really matter. They're kind of becoming the same person, so there will come a time when Mina answers to both.

Thank you. I was trying for that, actually, because a lot of people have emailed me saying they wanted to read SM but were too intimidated by how long RM had been to start with that. I was trying to ease into it for those people, but I was afraid I'd end up just boring those of you who'd actually read the first story. I'm glad _you_ were okay with it, at least.

Tell me about it. Incidentally, have you found a border that works? Every time I try a new one (besides this obnoxious 123123), it just disappears when I post. Any ideas?

I wanted to apologize again for not reading your updates right away. It really wasn't a reflection on you. Your stories are wonderful, but I'm so busy right now that I could cry. It's all I can do to get to my own stories.

Thank you again for reviewing. Your reviews mean more to me than you can know.

**Adyen**Um…okay. I'll try that, though I warn you that I'm really computer illiterate and it might be completely beyond me. It doesn't sound too hard, but you never know, with me. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

It's hardly empty praise, and I'm overjoyed that you bothered reading at all. Your opinion means quite a bit to me, and if you're excited, then I'm doubly so. Thank you again for reading!

**animerocksjapanrocks**Well, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Love hearing from you, my friend.

**Cel**That's okay. It's a real pain to log in, so I understand.

Well, I can only say that I was trying to ease into it. Several people wanted to start reading this fic, but were intimidated by the length of the first part. For their sakes, I didn't want to just jump in where I'd left off in the last one.

I thank you for your honesty. I will try to do better in the future (and don't worry, this was the wordiest chapter I plan to write. I wanted to get all of those annoying little details out all at once, so it won't happen again.)

Thanks for reading. I enjoyed hearing from you!

**Usagigreenleaf647: **I'm overjoyed that you bothered to read this! Thank you!

**Sassy-chan: **I'm just glad you read it at all, Sass, but I thank you for the compliments just the same.

Creepy shadow stalker? Yeah, I guess she is. It's funny that you'd see her that way, though.

As always, I thank you for the commentary. It was insightful and flattering, and I adore you for it. Until next time, my adored Sassy-chan!

**WOW: **Thanks for reading.


	3. Haunted

A.N.: Ugh. It's nothing short of a miracle that I was able to get this done, as tired as I've been lately. My fifteen-year-old brother, you see, went out and bought two thirteen feet plus snakes and put them in tanks right outside my bedroom. If those things get out—and his creepy crawlies always do—they could quite literally eat me, or at least choke me to death trying. Is it any wonder that I haven't been sleeping? I'm living through _Anaconda _every night in my dreams, though my nightmares aren't nearly as cheesy as the movie was, and I'm not rooting for the snake this time around.

You know, I tried to sell this brother of mine once before, and nobody wanted him. The offer still stands. I'll even toss the snakes in for free.

**Relevant Story Info: **None, except to say that I'm still taking names for the mailing lists.

**Brief Recap: **Last time, Mina took a prisoner, built a secret lair that she instantly dubbed the "Bat Cave," and renewed her search for Artemis. Two new/old characters were also introduced, though I'm only going to say that most of you guessed correctly. And for those of you who didn't—it wasn't Mal.

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CHAPTER THREE: Haunted

Even before a weary Mina crawled into her bed that night, she knew she would regret keeping her promise to Setsuna. Too often, in these last months, her sleep had been haunted by memories of what had come before, of the life she'd once had, of the person she'd been before she'd become Mina. She was plagued by her dreams, because every time she slept she was reliving a past filled with more heartbreak and pain than she even wanted to acknowledge. She hated it, though of course the memories weren't all bad. There were moments of joy amidst the pain, nights when her dreams weren't bitter, when she could remember faces and events with fondness rather than the self-recrimination she usually felt. Those were the good nights, and if they didn't come very often, Mina was simply grateful that they came at all.

Tonight was somehow different. Always before, Mina had found herself in the past, on worlds long since dead and with people she'd once loved but whom she would never see again. She'd come to expect those dreams, and perhaps that was why, when she finally allowed sleep to claim her that night, she was shocked to find herself someplace else entirely. She wasn't, she soon realized, back in a world that no longer existed, but rather in one that had never existed at all. This was a world of darkness and fear, a world that was in her own mind and nowhere else. It was a world that she had visited once before and had not wanted to see ever again.

It was Minako's world…

_Mina stood frozen in the darkness of her own mind, eyes wide and unhappy. She'd recognized this place instantly, knew what it was, knew who she would find here. It was only a matter of time before Minako came, though Mina didn't understand why her other self had summoned her thus. Whatever the reason, Mina obviously wished Minako hadn't brought her here. The last time Mina had come to this place, she'd been in a coma, her mind overwhelmed by too many memories being unlocked at once. She'd created this place to escape from the pressures of that, though it hadn't been the refuge it had been meant to be. Minako had found her here instead, had tormented her with truths she hadn't wanted, with knowledge she would have turned from if the choice had been really been hers. The encounter had changed Mina instead of healing her, and she would cheerfully have gone the rest of her life without encountering Minako again, after that. The awareness her other self had given her the last time was already enough to torment Mina for all the eternities she was destined to live, and she truly did not think she could take any more life-altering truths and still remain sane enough to finish this battle. _

_What did her past self want with her? Mina wasn't pleased with the prospect of seeing Minako again, though she knew she should have been. She should have been grateful for this opportunity to learn from her other self, to gain more knowledge of what she would have to do, but she wasn't. What else could the senshi of the past have to show her, and at such a time as this? Would she now be forced to endure more visions? She'd believed she'd seen the worst her old life had to offer, but if Minako had summoned her again, maybe she'd been wrong about that. Maybe there was more to come, and maybe it would be even worse than having to relive her own death at the hands of her soulmate. Could she survive it, if it was? _

_Mina still hadn't moved, though now she began turning her head from side to side, trying to find the golden woman who'd put her in this nightmare in the first place. She couldn't see anything, of course. There was only the darkness, but Mina eventually began walking anyway, picking a direction at random and allowing her feet to carry her without any conscious thought on her part. She hadn't wanted to stay where she was, though she also hadn't known where else she could go. There was nothing in this place that she could see, no destination she could move towards. There was nothing here._

_And, suddenly, there _was. _Mina hadn't taken more than a few dozen steps before the darkness lifted slightly, chased away by a single pillar of bright light. Her eyes narrowed as she peered into it, as she slowly moved to stand inside it, but nothing happened immediately. Minako didn't come, and Mina sighed after another moment, allowing her golden eyes to drift slowly and rather expectantly around her, waiting with as much patience as she could muster for the one she knew should have already been here. The minutes continued to pass, but Mina's expression didn't change. She only crossed her slender arms over her chest, eyes hard as she gazed about herself. "You're not really much of a decorator, are you, Minako?" she eventually muttered, irritated by the woman's failure to meet her. She sighed again, shaking her head. As far as she could tell, this place was not any different than it had been three months before. The same nothingness surrounded her, ate at her from where she stood in the cool pillar of light Minako had created. The darkness was just as repressive as it had always been, and Mina shuddered, knowing her second visit to the abyss would not be a reprieve any more than the first had been._

_She found herself glancing around again, searching for a way to end this. She quickly realized how pointless that was, however, and she shrugged, letting her eyes drift to the black obsidian floor beneath her feet. Her reflection stared back at her, a pale face with large, emotionless eyes and a cross expression. Mina shivered a little, seeing more of Minako in that reflection than she would have wanted. She had become every bit as hard as her counterpart, these last few months, had become every bit as inhuman and empty as Minako had been at their last meeting. They were one and the same, of course, so perhaps that shouldn't have been so surprising, but Mina hated the idea that she'd lost so much of herself only to become the person she held most responsible for the disasters of the past. Would she ever be only herself again, or would she always remain a shadowy copy of Minako?_

_Mina shook herself free of that thought before it could take hold, knowing she didn't have time for this. She tore her eyes away from the lonely face in the black glass, pushing away as many of the doubts still lingering in her mind as she could. "Come on, Minako," she called softly, knowing her other self would answer in some way or another, if she insisted. "I don't have all night. Where are you? Why have you brought me here?"_

_The answer came almost immediately, as Mina had hoped it would. Minako may have only been a figment of Mina's imagination, but she wasn't much more patient or capable of ignoring so direct a challenge than Mina was, and soon enough the senshi's lilting voice echoed through the abyss, through Mina's soul. **I brought you here because I wanted to tell you the truth, **the voice whispered almost tensely, and Mina rolled her eyes, not feeling quite as frightened of her other self as she had that other time, when Minako had shown Mina what their first death had been. She only spun on one heel, turning to glare at the slender, perfect woman now standing at the very center of the light. _

_There was no emotion at all on Minako's face, and she stepped slowly forward, coming to stand before the younger senshi. Mina, though, only stared back, refusing to be daunted by the more-than-faint reproach in the golden eyes that so matched her own. "What truth?" Mina snapped at her, her own expression just as bland but for the faint trace of bitterness that flashed through her eyes and then was gone. "What could possibly be left for you to say to me?" She hadn't stopped glaring at her counterpart. "I don't _need_ you to tell me anything, you know. I've been recovering my memories on my own, these past months. If I can do that, I don't need your help to get the rest."_

_Minako chuckled at this show of Mina's temper, but the sound was cool and dismissive and impossibly acerbic. "Have you?" she immediately retorted, her voice soft enough in spite of the scorn still lingering in her clipped and accented words. "We existed for centuries, you and I and whoever else we were, long before ever Beryl or Malachite came. How, then, could you have regained everything we were and everything we'd learned in so short a time?"_

_Mina couldn't find the answer to that, but perhaps she wasn't expected to give one, because Minako's face suddenly gentled. "It won't be so easily done, Mina," the older senshi confessed. "You can't become Venus in just a few nights. There are lifetimes upon lifetimes of memories left to be recovered. You haven't even begun." Her voice had softened, too, all reproof disappearing under the sorrow every one of Mina's incarnations always seemed to feel. "You have so much more to learn, and everything has changed. Have you even figured out who you're supposed to be fighting?"_

_Mina grimaced, no longer feeling quite so much of the old hostility, glad that this was going to be a teaching session and nothing more. "Whatever I know," she admitted, feeling almost ashamed for her brief rebellion against her older and possibly wiser other self, "it's not enough. It's never enough." She frowned, peering at Minako. "Is that why you're here?" she quietly asked, "to tell me more about the bad guys?"_

_Minako nodded, though Mina thought the gesture was a little too hesitant. "Yes." She bit her lip, then pushed on. "The one you captured tonight is worthless," she abruptly continued, her words perhaps a little harsher than they needed to be. "Don't bother torturing him—he knows nothing."_

_Mina scowled. The news wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but she still didn't like what Minako was telling her. Had she been wasting her time so far? Maybe she should just be glad that she wouldn't have to torture the man, though she'd been fully prepared to do so. "What am I supposed to do with him, then? Kill him?"_

_Minako shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He was just a grunt, a flunky. Nobody will care if you kill him, and nobody will care if you don't. He's useless to you." Her golden eyes suddenly sharpened. "The man you caught doesn't matter," she repeated, "and I can tell you more than he ever would, anyway." _

_Mina arched an eyebrow, skepticism clear in her face. "How? You're dead, remember? You were able to clue me into the enemy only because you'd fought them before and knew they'd come back. Unless you've suddenly learned to tell the future, you can't help me now."_

_Minako was scowling, as well. "I don't have to see the future to see more than you apparently do," she snapped. "I'm in your head, aren't I? I see and hear and feel what you do, but the difference is that I know what to look for. You don't." She was still glaring at Mina, and had Mina been anyone else, the look in her eyes would have been very intimidating indeed. As it was, Mina only glared right back._

_"So tell me, already. What should I be looking for?"_

_Minako rolled her eyes, perhaps unaware that the movement was hardly in keeping with the stern, focused self she was supposed to be. "It's not what you should be looking for—it's who," she impatiently explained. "Even you should have noticed how suspicious and controlling these enemies of ours are. They trust each other even less than they trust you, and they've spent too many centuries fighting amongst themselves, hoarding knowledge and power from each other. It's weakened them to the point where only a very few of them are strong enough or know enough to be real threats to you. All you need do is eliminate those few, and your problems with them will be solved. The others will be too weak to assault you, after that, and their entire race will fall apart." She snorted, clearly still annoyed with her other self. "Then again," she snapped, "I'm only a dead girl, so what do I know?"_

_Mina nodded, processing this and ignoring Minako's snippiness. "Okay," she agreed, "but how do I find the leaders? I've spent three months just trying to locate _one _of these guys. What makes you think I can find the _right _ones any better?"_

_Minako's lips had turned down, and she was staring at Mina with something akin to incredulity. "You're supposed to be smart," she said, the words not truly directed at Mina but enough to make the younger girl scowl frown even more. Minako only groaned, ignoring that, as well. "I think dying so often has rotted your brain. You really haven't figured it out?" _

_Mina shook her head, still looking a little cross. "Obviously not. Why don't you stop insulting me long enough to explain?"_

_Minako took another step forward, coming close enough that Mina's eyes were crossing whenever she tried to look at the other woman. "Let's try this another way," she said. "What do these creatures feed on, Mina? Where does their strength come from?"_

_Mina shrugged, still not understanding. "Human emotions," she answered quickly enough. She and Minako had already been over this part. "They feed from the energy humans give off whenever they're unhappy or afraid or angry. The Styx sustain themselves on that alone. They need nothing else."_

_Minako's lips had quirked in a faint smile. "That seems a little impractical, doesn't it? Every time somebody cheers up, they'd lose their food source. How can they survive like that?"_

_Mina's eyes suddenly widened, comprehension dawning on her face. "They stir up trouble, get into other people's heads and keep them lonely and hurting and afraid. If there are enough people suffering, it wouldn't matter if one or two stop being miserable." She snapped her fingers suddenly, something else occurring to her. "Why didn't I see this before? It's so bloody _obvious! _All I ever needed to do was find the people most likely to cause great amounts of harm—politicians, doctors, the very rich and the very powerful." She hung her head, ashamed that she could have been so ignorant. "They've been there, all along. I just never saw it. I've been so stupid."_

_Mina's voice had thickened with just enough self-loathing that even Minako, jaded as she was, might have offered some pity, but she didn't. Something else had distracted her, and while she heard Mina's words, she wasn't listening anymore. She was, instead, staring out over Mina's right shoulder, eyes unfocused and almost angry. "It's too soon," she whispered, voice harsh enough to draw even Mina from her shell of self-blame. "He can't have found us yet…" _

_The blonde girl's head came up, her sharp gaze instantly fastening on Minako's face. "What is it? What's wrong?" Her own words were just as clipped and angry, made even more so because she could think of only one explanation for Minako's statement. Please, she begged whatever gods might be listening, let me be wrong…_

_Minako took a step backwards, tawny eyes gleaming in the pale light. "He's here," she told Mina, and the girl's eyes widened. "Malachite has found us." She met Mina's gaze, somehow keeping her perfect features completely controlled but for the urgency now in her expression. "He can't see us together, Mina. You know that. He might pass _you_ off as a dream, but the two of us together…" _

_Mina's eyes were still too wide, but she only nodded, knowing exactly what Minako was telling her. If Malachite saw them both together, he'd see how identical she and Minako were, and then it was only a matter of time before he put a few other clues together and realized that the two women were, in fact, one and the same. One of them, either she or Minako, had to leave before he came, and as much as Mina wished it could be her, she wasn't the most logical choice. As Minako had said, Malachite would believe Mina was simply part of a dream, and her presence wouldn't necessarily lead to the awkward questions that Minako's would. Still, Mina wasn't prepared to deal with Malachite, not when she hadn't even worked out her feelings for him. She was afraid that her hatred for him wouldn't survive this meeting, and then where would she be? She'd left him because she couldn't trust him, but she'd also left because he made her too vulnerable. Without her anger to keep her heart in check, would she again find herself weakened by her ancient love for him?_

_It was cruel of Minako to do this to her, and Mina wasn't about to let the woman get away with it so easily. She turned to her counterpart, expression suddenly furious. "How is this possible?" Mina snarled, not willing to let Minako leave until she understood. "How could he find me? I'm half a world away. That should have been enough!" Her hands clenched into fists. "And even if it wasn't, this isn't a place he should be able to come anyway! How could he get inside my head?" _

_"You know the answer to that." Minako's face had gone still with the eerie calm Mina hated so much. "He's your soulmate, remember? He's too much a part of you, and no matter how much you hate him right now, you also still love him. Something in you must have been calling to him."_

_Mina was scowling, but she, too, had become just as quiet as her old self. "Yeah, whatever," she growled. "You're probably the one who let him in." She sighed, running slender fingers across her face. "Is he the real thing? Or is this another one of your tests?" She glared at Minako. "If it is, I might just have to kill you." _

_Minako shrugged, not bothering to ask Mina how she planned to do that. "He's real enough, though, as I said, he probably thinks he's dreaming." She glanced at her other self, her features hard once more. "He's too much of a risk. Get rid of him, Mina." _

_Mina opened her mouth to protest, to fight against Minako's order and her own common sense, but she couldn't. Minako was already gone, vanished like a wisp of smoke, beyond Mina's reach. And even if Mina's other self had stayed, it probably wouldn't have mattered, because suddenly Malachite was also there, and Mina was alone with the silver-eyed man she'd run away from once before…_

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**Reader Responses: **

**Venusian From Hell: **(This also includes the reply to the last review of RM) Yeah, I'm glad, too. As slow as I am, I didn't think I'd finish it for another month at least! And, hey, I completely understand. I'm also taking so many upper division classes that I can't see straight. It's amazing that I ever get anything done, as much studying as I have to do.

I know. I can't seem to shake the habit, though I really do try. Hopefully this last chapter wasn't quite as bad.

Beautiful compliments, incidentally. If I ever need encouragement, I know who to go to! You're a sweetheart, to say all that. Until next time!

**Optical Illusions: **S'okay. Trust me, I know how hectic life can get. I haven't been reviewing anybody else's stories, either.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the flattery and the compliments. You're an angel!

**Ocianne: **That's okay. I love long reviews, so I'm hardly going to complain. I'm glad you liked the details, though I'm sure you're also glad that I've gotten all of that out of the way. I know I am.

Just two stalkers…that's not so bad, is it? And you guessed correctly: the man at the beginning was Ace, and Blue Eyes was Artemis. I had to bring them in somehow, and this seemed like a good time.

Truthfully, I sent Art away in the first chapter of RM, and then forgot about him. I hadn't meant to send him away for so long, but by the time I remembered what I'd done, it was too late. He'll be back in this fic, though.

Yes, she definitely has a thing for light-haired men. Every guy she's ever been with has had white hair or blonde hair. Personally, I think it's a fetish.

That Gollum thing was both creepy and hilarious. I knew I liked you for a reason! And, no, I couldn't do that to the series, either.

I _loved _your explanation for the scars! It made more sense than mine, anyway. Can I steal it?

As always, adore you for the review. They're so beautifully long and insightful! Can't wait to hear from you again!

**Hota-chan: **Did you seriously just read the entire thing? That's impressive, because even I don't think I could do that. I don't have the patience.

No, she probably was hiding something from Mina. She's hiding a lot of things, but then that's what happens when you come back to the past and the person you're talking to wants you to reveal too much.

Thanks for the compliments! I'm truly amazed that you read this whole thing and still came back for SM. Maybe you're some kind of masochist, but I adore you for it.

**Pudadingding: **Well, that's good, because you're completely right. But, no, Mal won't see Mina in the flesh for some time yet. Blue Eyes _was_ Art, though if so many people hadn't guessed that, I wouldn't be telling you now.

Romance might come later…in fact, romance _will _come later. I might have to put it off for a bit, but when it comes, there'll be so much of it that you'll get cavities.

And obviously, this third chapter did have them dreaming of each other, in a way. I'd planned to include that sooner or later anyway, but your comments had me going for sooner. Thanks for the motivation! And they obviously get together in the end. I only write happy endings, and if Mina doesn't end up with Mal after all that, it wouldn't be very happy, now would it?

**Eagle: **Yes, that was Art. I hadn't wanted to make it quite so obvious, but since everybody pretty much guessed correctly, I must have. Oh, well.

And it wasn't shorter. I always make my chapters at least five pages long. Maybe I just didn't spend so much time rambling or something. I don't know, but I thank you for the compliments, just the same.

**Transcendent: **Yes, it was Ace. Kunz/Mal won't be showing up in person for some time yet. And not to give too many spoilers, but Mina won't have quite the same problem with Ace as she had with Mal. There'll be different problems, of course, but I don't want to go into them yet.

As always, loved hearing from you. You're such a sweetheart when it comes to reviews and compliments!

**Krysia: **Thanks for the help. I hadn't realized that feature was available, though it still doesn't help with the borders. They don't show up no matter what I do. Oh, well.

Loved hearing from you.

**Koosei: **Not Malachite, sorry. I hadn't wanted to simply tell everybody who it was, but so many of you guessed that I suppose it doesn't matter. It was Ace, Mina's version of Tux Mask from the manga (only less annoying). He was also Adonis from their past lives, so he and Mina have quite the history together. Thanks for the review!

**A. Lee: **Sorry to disappoint you, but it wasn't Malachite. This is someone else entirely, though he's also a potential love interest for Mina. And don't worry, Mina isn't going to be lonely for long (though I promise to make her end up with Mal. After everything, I couldn't let it be any other way!). Thanks for the review!

**Adyen: **Oooh…Mina as Batgirl…somehow, that's not an image I want in my head, though is sure is funny.

Thanks for letting me know about the link. As always, I appreciate the time you spend on my stuff!

**Fushigi Hime: **I'm glad you like what I do, and I thank you for the compliments. And don't worry about not reviewing, because I understand how much time it takes.

Yes, I love Sets, too. She's a fun character, and she'd be a useful partner for Mina.

Wow. I knew I adored you for a reason! Those were some of the best compliments I"ve ever gotten, and I thank you.

**JadesRose: **Blue Eyes belonged to Art. Yes, you would think Mina would sense it, but since I'm the all-powerful author-person, I told her not to. Seriously, my explanation for that is that Mina has gotten so used to Art over the years that his presence wouldn't necessarily alarm her. If you can come up with a better explanation, I'm all ears.

I actually tried complaining, it was bugging me that much, but I wasn't able to get anywhere. Oh, well. I like the border I have now, because no matter how much I see it, it's still funny to a narcissist like myself.

Thanks for the compliments and for the review. As always, I loved what you wrote.

**WOW: **Thanks again.


	4. Confusion

**A.N.: **Ugh. I'm taking a class in African history, and for the past three weeks, we've been watching these really awful movies. They're not in English, don't make sense, and involve a whole lot of wrinkly, _naked _old men who jump up and down way too often. _Shudders_ I've been completely traumatized by that, because, seriously..._naked._ Somebody pass out the fig leaves! I'm going to have nightmares for months.

And before you ask, you hentai minded people, I really do have to watch. The movies all have subtitles, and I need that for papers and things. Otherwise...no way would I _ever. _

**Relevant Story Info: **I've been asked to provide a few decent websites with information on Ace/Adonis, but I can't remember what pages I used myself, and my computer isn't letting me look anything up right now. Any suggestions?

**This chapter is dedicated to my beta, Magician. Thank you for the help!**

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CHAPTER FOUR: Confusion

_He was lost, confused, surrounded by a darkness so complete that it was almost suffocating. He was drowning in shadows, the nothingness around him horribly tangible and almost alive. It seeped into his eyes and ears and mouth, leaving him blind and deaf and voiceless. It cut off all external sensations, made him a prisoner in his own body, and for just a moment, his mind flailed in panic. His blood surged within his veins, mixing with an adrenaline entirely wasted on a man who had so completely lost control of himself. His heart quickened drastically, thudding against his ribcage with enough force to cause pain. _

_It was the pain that brought him back to himself, because even if he was still deaf and dumb, even if he was still trapped in this unnatural darkness and trapped within himself, at least he knew he was still alive. He'd been wondering if maybe he'd died and this was some twisted version of hell, but could his heart still pound like this, if he was? He didn't think so, though of course he really knew nothing of death or anything that came with it. Maybe this really was hell, the darkness punishment for sins he couldn't remember committing, the pain only a reminder of what he'd lost by dying. _

_And maybe this was only a dream, though he'd never had a dream that felt quite like this. Wherever he was, whatever had him in its thrall, something about this place had sharpened his awareness of himself. His thoughts seemed clearer, his emotions amplified, and that was odd in itself, at least for a man who'd spent the last three months doing whatever he could to distance himself from his feelings, from his pain. It was as though a barrier had fallen within him, and he could no longer block out his own feelings, could no longer block out the pale face of the girl who'd caused his emotional turmoil in the first place. _

_He gave what would have been a sigh in any other situation and in any other man, trying not to think about Mina even though she was all he ever thought about anymore, only belatedly noticing that that darkness wasn't as intense now that he was no longer focusing so completely on it. Nor were his senses as deadened as he'd initially thought. He knew, now, that if he hadn't been able to see or hear before, it was only because there simply wasn't anything _to _see or hear. He was standing in a void as deep and dark and lonely as the place Mina had left in his heart, and even if he didn't know why he was here, he no longer needed to fear that he was in hell or that he had simply gone insane. _

_Of course, that still didn't explain how he'd come to this void, or even what this place was. If this was a dream, it certainly wasn't a normal one. Now that his body was his own again, he could feel how heavy the air was, could feel the smooth, hard surface beneath his feet. He looked down, his eyes slowly becoming accustomed enough to the darkness that he could now make what he thought might be an obsidian floor. He could just barely see his reflection staring back at him from inside the black glass, and he wondered, absently, why he looked like such a stranger, even to himself. He'd gotten paler, these last months without Mina, and he knew he'd lost a little weight. He still looked as fit as ever in spite of that, but there were circles under his eyes and a new cynicism in his gaze. He looked...hardened, perhaps even less human. What would Mina think, if she could see the changes in him?_

_He stopped that thought before it could affect him. Even now, even here, he didn't want to dwell on Mina or the loss of her. It was just too painful, thinking of the slender and very much absent love of his life. His fears for her had already come close to consuming him, and he didn't need to torment himself like that. He had enough problems, at the moment, and, in any case, his attention was already elsewhere. A glint of...something...had caught his eye as he turned his head to one side, and as it was the first hint that there was anything here besides himself and the darkness, he wasn't about to ignore it just so he could wallow in his own pain. He spun on one heel, practically jogging towards whatever it was. His long legs carried him swiftly over the black glass, bringing him closer to what he eventually realized was a wide, sourceless pillar of cool white light, one powerful enough to leave an afterimage every time he blinked. Another moment brought him still nearer, and his silver eyes narrowed as other details became apparent. Something was inside that pillar of light, he slowly realized, and though he wasn't close enough for it to be much more than a shadow, he could tell that it was human-shaped. Someone was waiting for him inside that pillar... _

_Malachite never had to question, even for a moment, the identity of his companion. He'd have been a poor sort of lover if he hadn't been able to recognize her, even here, and his steps didn't falter in the slightest as he continued his approach. Perhaps a part of him had known all along that she_ _would come, because as strange as this place was, it honestly made sense that she would have something to do with it. After all, she was strange, too, and every oddity in his life seemed to involve her in some way or another. Why should his dreams be any different?_

_She was waiting patiently for him, her arms crossed over her chest, her golden hair swirling around her lithe figure. She was dressed in what appeared to be a pair of plain flannel pajamas, and while that should have made her more approachable, it didn't. He'd been half-expecting her to wear the tight jeans and shirts she'd always worn around him before, and the pajamas looked out of place on her. Everything did, in this moment, though he truly couldn't have explained why that was so. He also couldn't read her expression or see her features in any real detail, but something about the way she held herself was already making him uneasy. Her posture was a little too stiff, tense in an angry, defensive kind of way. He never thought to question that, though he wondered at the change in her._

_She already wasn't what he'd expected, and as he finally came close enough to really see her face, his uneasiness only deepened. Her face had changed, even more than his had. She was even paler than she'd been before, and while she was still indescribably beautiful, there was now something untouchable about her. The bubbly warmth that had first driven him nuts and then drawn him like a moth to the flame was completely gone, leaving a flawless and distant woman in its place. He didn't know what to make of that, didn't know what could have been terrible enough to take the life from her expression. He only knew that she was not the same vibrant girl he'd fallen in love with. Whatever had happened to her in the time they'd been apart, she looked...different, older. Sadder. _

_And her eyes had changed color. _

_He blinked at her, for a moment too shocked by this particular change to notice the way she was staring at him, her now-tawny eyes both hungry and furious at the same time. When had her eyes changed, and how? He'd never seen such a shade in a human being, and while he might have chalked this up to the dream, the Mina that usually haunted his sleep hadn't looked like this. Even without the color change, she hadn't been so serious, or so tense. The Mina of his dreams had always been smiling, laughing. She'd always looked up at him with love in her gaze, but that was an emotion entirely lacking in this Mina's eyes. He winced, wondering if somehow he was responsible for this. "Mina?"_

_Her name had been a prayer on his lips, but if she heard the love and the desperation in his voice, she gave no indication of it. She only shook her head, uncrossing her arms and bringing them back down to her sides, her slender fingers clenching into fists. Her eyes were glittering with too many emotions, but he couldn't read any of them. "Hello, Malachite." _

_He'd taken a step towards her, wanting so badly to take her in his arms, not caring that she was only a figment of his imagination, but the chill in her voice stopped him. She sounded so angry, and the Mina he'd known had never been angry. "Gods, Mina," he breathed, pale eyes scanning her face for an explanation, for an echo of the love he'd once believed she held for him. "It's been so long..."_

_She stared at him, a quick, harsh bark of bitter laughter erupting from between her lips. "Yes," she snapped, "and if I'd had my way, it would have been longer. How did you get here?"_

_He hadn't been expecting the bitterness, and for a moment he didn't answer. Then, shrugging slightly, he took another step in her direction. "I don't know," he answered frankly, gazing intently at her. "Does it matter?" He shook his head, more confused by her reception of him than he'd been even when he'd first found himself trapped in this dark abyss. "I've found you now, Mina, even if you're only a dream. I don't care about anything else." _

_His heart was in his eyes, but she must have questioned his sincerity anyway, because she only continued to glare at him. "You don't belong here, Malachite," she said, her lyrical voice suddenly soft enough that he could barely hear her. "I want you to leave." _

_As quiet as her words had been, there was still so much fury in her voice that he struggled to keep from flinching. He couldn't remember a time when Mina had spoken to him this way, not even during those first tumultuous weeks of their acquaintance, when she'd driven him up a wall with her craziness and he'd been less than pleasant in response. Still, part of him knew that he should have expected this. He'd never understood why Mina had left, but of course he wasn't blind to the possibility that it might have had something to do with him. He must have hurt her in some way, because even if her reasons for leaving had nothing to do with him, she hadn't exactly been kind in her farewells. She'd literally abandoned him while he slept, leaving nothing but a scribbled and rather heartless note telling him that she didn't want him around, asking him not to look for her. She'd disappeared, and he hadn't heard from her in all the months since. If she'd cared about him at all, he'd reasoned, she would have contacted him at some point, at least let him know she was all right. His devotion to her aside, there was only one way to take the fact that she hadn't._

_He scowled, but no matter how much love he had for Mina, no matter how convinced he was that she was only part of a dream, he was still unwilling to let his hurt show. His features hardened, a mask of stone dropping over his expression. He stared back at her, the silver of his eyes now chips of ice, his voice just as cold. "I can't." He shrugged, dismissing his own statement, wishing he could dismiss _her_. "And even if I could, you're not getting rid of me so easily, love, not until you've explained a few things."_

_Her eyes were hard, so blank and frozen that her gaze was almost painful. "What do you want from me? I'm only a dream, remember? There's nothing I can give you, Malachite."_

_He shook his head. "I think there is," he said, the words out before he could really think about what he was saying, spurred by that other within himself. "Whatever this is, it's not a regular dream, and whatever _you _are, I think you know it." He gazed at her, his own eyes just as harsh as hers. "I want the truth, Mina. I want to know where you've been, why you left."_

_She laughed again, and while the laughter wasn't nearly as bitter as it had been before, there was an edge of frustrated hysteria in it. "You don't understand anything at all, do you? I left for a reason, Malachite, and I told you to stay away for a reason. Hasn't it occurred to you that I don't want you around?" Her eyes narrowed. "_I don't need you_. I never did, and I'm certainly not going to tell you anything that might bring you back into my life. You're too much of a burden." She sighed, not giving him a chance to respond but not looking away. Her eyes were glued to his, though there wasn't so much of a trace of sympathy or hesitation in them. For all he could tell, she didn't even remotely care that she was being cruel. _

_He'd paled, but his face hadn't changed beyond that. "I see." He didn't, of course. He and Mina hadn't always had the perfect relationship, and there'd been plenty of times when he'd practically hated her. Still, no matter how much of a jerk he'd been, she'd never reacted badly. She'd always been pleasant, smiling, accepting. If she could accept all that he'd done to her before, how could she be angry now, when she knew he loved her and would do everything in his power to make her happy?_

_Mina had been watching his face, and perhaps she'd seen something she didn't like in his eyes, because she suddenly snorted. "This is stupid," she snapped, breaking up the staring contest, her lyrical accent thicker than he'd remembered it being in real life. "I don't know what she was playing at, letting you in here. She should have known better, but I suppose it doesn't really matter. This conversation is over." She turned, began walking away. "I don't have time for you," she told him, coldly and almost casually tossing the words over her shoulder, disappearing back into the darkness and out of his life._

_He couldn't bring himself to call after her._

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A short distance away, hidden within the shadows, two slender, ageless women watched as the tall man with the silver eyes stared at the place where the girl had been only a second before. He wasn't moving, his features so hard and empty that he might have been a statue. Then, moving so quickly and suddenly that he surprised even his two watchers, he turned and was swallowed up by the nothingness.

The taller of the two women immediately turned to her companion, inky bangs falling into mulberry eyes. "Was this really your plan? You're going to make them hate each other, if this keeps up."

The other woman shrugged, not at all affected by the irritation in her friend's voice, sounding a little too tired herself. "No," Mina's future self disagreed quietly, her voice intense enough to make the other woman glance uncertainly at her. "They're still very much in love, those two. They always will be, whatever happens." She sighed, full lips twisting in an unhappy frown. "He just can't find her yet," she explained softly. "She's not ready for him, and even if she was, he's still too much of a distraction. She needs this time alone, Raye, even if she has to drive him away to get it."

Raye was still staring at her, magenta eyes appraising, but she only nodded. If Mina believed this was necessary for her past self, then it probably was. She would hardly make herself suffer if she didn't absolutely have to, would she? Not even Mina was _that _crazy. Then again, it _was _Mina... "Exactly how long do you plan to keep this up, Meens? She's going to figure everything out sooner or later. You know that." She paused, then softly added, "You should at least tell her the truth about Minako."

Once again, the blonde shrugged. "Not a chance," she retorted. She glanced at her friend, a smirk now gracing her perfect features. "How would _you _feel, Raye, if you learned that the voices in your head were real?"

As hard as Raye was still glaring, there was really nothing she could say to that.

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Malachite came awake with a start, eyes flying open, chest heaving with sharp, painful gasps. His hair was damp with sweat, the sheets of his bed twisted around his legs. He ran his hands over his eyes, swore softly and repeatedly, and although he wasn't quite aware of it, Mina's name was among the curses...

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Mina's eyes slowly opened, stinging with tears she would never bring herself to shed, smooth features twisting with anger and bitterness and a thousand other emotions besides. It really had been cruel of Minako to make her do that, Mina reflected wearily, though she still couldn't disagree with her older self's reasoning. All of it—the calculated fury she'd forced into her eyes even though she hadn't felt even the smallest spark of anger towards Malachite in months, her refusal to ease even one of his concerns for her, the casual dismissal of his love—had been horribly necessary. She'd needed Malachite to leave her alone, needed for him to stop his search for her, and hopefully her acting skills had been sufficient to convince him that she wasn't worth it, even if he really did think it had all been a dream.

She sighed, wishing he'd move on and forget about her. She'd hadn't been lying when she'd told him that he was too much of a burden, though of course she hadn't meant it quite the way it had sounded. She'd only meant that she couldn't handle knowing he was out there, still loving her and hurting because of it. She couldn't handle knowing that she was still causing him pain even when she wasn't around, or knowing that if she had been at his side she'd have been too busy worrying about his safety to focus on saving the world. She had enough guilt in her life, and she just didn't need any more. Of course, if he ever did move on and find love with someone else, that would become a burden, too. She was already so alone—would she even be able to handle a broken heart on top of everything else? She didn't think so, because as hard as it had been to walk away from Malachite even when she'd thought she hated him, it would be a thousand times worse knowing that _he _had walked away from _her, _especially when she really did believe he loved her as much as any being could love another.

Mina sat up in her bed, curling her arms around her knees as she brought them to her chest, knowing she wouldn't be sleeping any more that night. She buried her head in her arms, golden hair pooling around her, body far too still in spite of the anguish she would never allow herself to express. "By the gods, Malachite," she whispered, "for both our sakes, _just leave me alone_."

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**Reader Responses:**

**Sapphiregirl: **Wow. That's, um, a really long review. I'm so incredibly flattered that you'd take that much time!

Prolific, am I? Yeah, well, I bet you're not thinking that now. It's been a couple of weeks since I updated anything...

I'd forgotten about the cow, but I agree, at least about his being insane. This particular brother makes _me _look normal, and trust me when I say that I'm anything but. And I guess my mother just doesn't care anymore. My brothers are always doing crazy things, and she's just gotten to the point where she doesn't react. And as it turns out, the snakes will get to be about 26 feet long. My mom's trying to convince him to sell them. We'll see what happens, though.

And the zoo wouldn't take him. He's too weird.

Maybe you're right. I do seem to be focusing on dreams a little too much right now. Can't help it, though. And I'm glad you liked my past-lives theories. I guess I always figured that if people are as shaped by their environments as everybody claims, and if Mina's life and Minako's were so different, they couldn't possibly be exactly the same people. Still, they _are _basically the same people, so Mina just needs to find some kind of balance between who she was as Minako and who she is as Mina. When she does, she'll finally be Venus.

I'm glad you like my sense of humor, twisted as it is. Somebody needs to!

Well, that's Mina—overanalyzing everything. She's so afraid of screwing up again that she is, as you put it, thinking too much. And, no, it's definitely not like her to be logical. It might be kind of funny, though, to see her try.

Are you very mad at me for not letting Mal realize the truth just yet? He will soon, I promise, but it'd be too inconvenient right now.

No, I never intended for her to hate him. _She _never even thought it would last, so of course it didn't. And I like your spin on the brainwashing thing. I might have to steal it, actually. (Just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you.)

I'm glad _somebody _got it! I was getting all these emails asking about the whole love vs. duty thing, but nobody really understood what I was going for, except you. See? I knew you were clever.

Well, nothing happened in the dream world, but it will. This wasn't a one-time thing, so there'll be plenty of opportunities for Mal/Mina bonding/fighting/whatever later.

And don't ever apologize for making the review long! This so completely made my day. I love hearing from you!

**Sapphiregirl: **Oops, didn't see this one until after I'd already responded to the first. Don't apologize, though! As I've told you so many times, I'm not any better.

Adonis, Ace...they're one and the same, and yes, that's him. I wanted to toss in a new love interest for Mina (not a permanent one, of course. I'll probably either kill him off or send him away at some point, but he'll be good for a little jealousy later.). And I think he _is _a potential stalker-type! The dude has so many issues with Mina that it'll be hard for anybody not to make him one. We'll have to compare styles, though.

I'm glad you liked the Bat Cave, but are you picturing Mina as Batgirl as often as I am? It's making it very hard for me to write anything serious.

Thanks again for reading. I love how insightful you always are, and it makes you that much more appreciated. Until next time!

**Venusian From Hell: **Glad you liked the Bat Cave idea. As funny as I found it, I was afraid it would be too corny. I'm so pleased that you didn't see it that way!

**Venusian From Hell: **Yep, Mal has found her...sorta. I didn't really let him get anything from her this time, but he will later. As for Artemis...he'll probably show up within the next chapter or two. I haven't quite worked him in yet, but I will. Thanks for the review!

**Eagle8819: **Don't worry about it. It really wasn't that big of a deal, and I was just glad that you read my story at all. I'm certainly not going to complain when you ask questions or make comments!

Thanks for the compliments. I always love hearing from you, and yes, more will be revealed about the enemy. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

**Sassy-chan: **Don't sweat it, Sass. I know how busy life gets, so I'm not going to complain or chew you out.

Yes, the new character is Ace. I hadn't thought so many people knew about him, but apparently they do, because just about everybody guessed who he was. There's actually a website with all of the manga transcripts, and I'll put the address in my author's notes or something. Thanks for the suggestion.

I'm glad you liked the Bat Cave idea. I thought it was kind of funny, too, if only because I kept picturing Mina as Batgirl...giggles.

**Sassy-chan: **Thanks, again, for the compliments. You're always so sweet, and your descriptions of this chapter certainly got me motivated. You're an angel!

Actually, the credit for the dream sequence goes to a book I read years and years ago. I don't remember who it was by or even most of what it was about, but I remember that some woman kept meeting her lover in her dreams for years and years after they'd separated. Neither of them realized it wasn't real until they met up again, and it'll be the same for Mina and Mal. I just wish I could remember who the book was by, because then I could give proper credit...

No, I don't think they _do _like each other all that much. Mina resents Minako for her interference and for her failures in their past life, and Minako doesn't quite approve of the way Mina responds to things. And to answer your question, Mina is both afraid and sick of Minako. She's afraid of what Minako can tell her, but she's also sick of the interference. Does that help?

Thanks, as always, dear Sassy, for reviewing. You're wonderful!

**Adyen: **No kidding! It's got to have been one weird conversation...

S'okay. I understand. I don't always feel like taking the time to review, either, even if I'm hooked on the story. As long as I know that I haven't completely put you off, then I'm satisfied.

You're hilarious, if very, very weird. I'll certainly miss your jokes! Thanks for reviewing.

**Becx: **I thank you for the enthusiasm! And I'm not giving up, even if it takes me a while to get new chapters out. I'm just very busy at the moment.

**Usagigreenleaf657: **Thank you for the compliments, and as soon as I have even a little free time, I'll certainly check out your fic. Lemme know when it's up. (My email is ) Thanks again for reading!

**JadesRose: **I don't write fluffiness very well, but there will come a point when you'll feel practically nauseated by all the sappiness! Just be patient, please.

And thanks for the suggestions. I'll see if I can work them in at some point, because they really are clever.

And the snakes are outside my room because my brother has already filled both his room and the entire garage with creepy crawlers, and they can't stay outside even in California. I'm still having nightmares about those things, though...

**A. Lee: **Well, you know me—why make something easy when it can be complicated? 'Sides, I don't want Mina and Mal reconciling just yet. Sorry about the sneakiness! I really couldn't help myself.

Yes, TPLI (This Potential Love Interest, as you so cleverly put it) will be showing up soon. I like Ace, even if I'll either be killing him off or sending him away sooner or later, and I want him involved. We'll see what happens, though.

As always, thanks for reading! I adore you!

**Fushigi Hime: **I'm glad you liked this so much! Your compliments are certainly inspirational!

As always, thanks for the review. Trust me, the adoration goes both ways. You're an incredible writer yourself, and that makes your opinion mean so much more to me. Until next time!

**Ocianne: **How about if I just give you credit for that scar thing? Heaven knows you deserve it for being able to explain what I couldn't.

Yeah, but then he's a cat, so he's easy to forget. It also makes the idea of him having self-esteem issues very, very funny.

Explanation bought! Either that, or I tend to get wordy and introspective, and force all of that on Mina. (I like your explanation better!)

Yep, Minako will definitely return soon. She's going to start bugging the crap out of Mina real soon.

I'm glad you liked their conversation, and I'm also glad you picked up on the animosity between them. So many people keep asking me why they wouldn't like each other when they _are _each other, and it's good that somebody actually gets it without my having to explain. Your theory is dead on, though it's also because Mina is afraid of losing herself beneath Minako's personality.

Hmmm...can't answer that...mostly because I don't know yet. Maybe Mina will have something special that will help her defeat the Styx when Minako couldn't. It sounds like a good idea, and I'll see what I can do with it.

As always, I adore your input. You're a fascinating and insightful individual, and I'm flattered beyond words that you would spend so much time thinking about my story. Ja ne!

**Optical Illusions: **Well, I thank you for reading, and I definitely thank you for the compliments! If someone as wonderful as yourself can't find anything wrong with what I wrote, then I'm happy.

**Merry Faerie:**  I adore you.  Not many people would be willing to read such a long story, especially one that doesn't always makes sense.  I'm flattered that you would even attempt it.  You must be a remarkably patient person!  Thank you for taking the time.  It's quite the motivation!

I know you asked several questions in your reviews, but I can't answer them right now.  My computer is spazzing and won't let me access the reviews for that story.  As soon as I can, though, I will definately address each and every one of them.  I'm overjoyed that you're thinking so much about what I wrote.  Thanks for reading!


	5. So Much For Humanity

A.N.: Well, it's official—my insanity is a product of genetics. One of my brothers—not the snake/cow brother, for once—was studying Pavlov in school, and he liked the idea so much that he went out and bought a whistle. We don't have a dog, though, so he decided to use the baby instead. He's got her convinced she's a dog—she now eats only when her food is placed in bowl on the floor, carries things in her mouth and crawls around on all fours, comes when he whistles, and is barking rather than using the few words she'd already learned. My mom is getting absolutely hysterical about it, and every time I laugh she throws a frying pan at me. I love my family!

**Relevant Story Info: **Character credit for the detective goes entirely to my beta, Magician. She was the one who came up with his name and his appearance, as well as most of his personality. She also helped me work out the details for the subplots he'll be involved in. Kudos to you, Magician!

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CHAPTER FOUR: So Much For Humanity

In spite of Mina's promise, Setsuna knew her fellow senshi too well to believe the girl would actually get any rest the night before. Though she didn't think Mina would feel even remotely threatened by the enemy she'd locked away in her own home, the former leader of the senshi had spent too many months obsessing over just about everything to relax so easily. She couldn't let go even long enough to sleep properly anymore, though she still did her best to hide that from her partner. She didn't want Setsuna to worry about her, or to know just how often she pushed her body to the point of collapse before she could finally give in to her own exhaustion.

She should have known she couldn't fool Setsuna. They'd been working too closely together these past few months, had known each other for too long before that, and even if they hadn't, Setsuna wasas omniscient as anyone could ever be. She didn't know everything or even nearly everything, but as she stepped through the Gate and into Mina's home the morning after the fight in the alley, she didn't miss the fact that Mina wasn't her typical, unnaturally perky self. Nor, come to that, did she really look all that healthy. Her face was too pale even for her, her features seeming somehow pinched, though of course even that couldn't keep her from looking more beautiful than most women ever did. _Mina could be at death's door, _Setsuna mused tiredly, _and she'd probably still look stunning. How does she do that?_

The blonde was leaning against her kitchen counter, absently holding a coffee mug to her lips, staring off into space. She glanced up as Setsuna arrived, inclined her head in a greeting that was a little too cautious, as though she was trying not to move too much. Setsuna peered at the girl, thinking that if she hadn't known that Mina avoided alcohol like the plague, she would have assumed the blonde had a hangover. The gold of Mina's eyes was too muted, her expression too listless, and a hangover would certainly explain the lack of color in her skin. Mina, Setsuna noted, hadn't even bothered to pull her hair away from her face, as she usually did. The blonde locks cascaded loosely over her shoulders, looking odd on this woman who hadn't worn her hair completely down since she was twelve years old. "You…don't look well, Meens."

Mina grimaced, though she only took another sip of her coffee. "I have a migraine, Sets," she snapped. "My head feels like it's going to fall off, and I'm starting to think I might feel better if it did. You should just be grateful that I managed to get dressed today."

Setsuna sighed again, glancing at the white turtleneck and plain, slightly wrinkled slacks Mina wore, wondering how the girl could be so elegant in an outfit that looked as though it hadn't been washed since the last time it had been worn. As preoccupied as Mina was lately, it probably hadn't. "You never went to bed last night, did you?"

Mina shot her friend a glare, wincing slightly as the movement caused her head to ache even more than it already was. "Of course I did," she snapped. Then, before her anger could even reach her eyes, her face softened. "I have nightmares, Sets," she confessed quietly. "Most of my memories aren't exactly pleasant, and since I'm reliving them every night, I'm just not sleeping as well as I used to." She shrugged, though once again the movement was very slight. "Don't worry about it, Setsuna," she added, her words not quite an order but close enough to count as one. "It comes with the territory, I think."

Setsuna didn't really have anything to say to that, though it was obvious that Mina didn't intend to dwell on her nightmares. If she'd wanted Setsuna to know what her dreams were about, the oldest of the senshi reasoned, she would have told her. As it was, Setsuna wisely switched topics. "Is he awake?"

It didn't take a brain surgeon to know what Setsuna was talking about, but Mina only shook her head. If she'd felt any relief in knowing that Setsuna wouldn't press the issue, she didn't show it. "No, but it doesn't matter. Torturing him is no longer a priority." She paused, briefly considered her words, and then pushed on. "I…don't think he'll be of any use to us," she finally said, attempting to explain. "I realize that most of his people are insane, but even they aren't crazy enough to trust their secrets with someone so completely unable to defend himself. I sincerely doubt that he knows anything truly important."

Setsuna arched one dark eyebrow. She wasn't exactly in favor of torture, but she couldn't let Mina make such an oversight. "You may be right, but that doesn't mean he knows nothing at all."

Mina shrugged yet again. "I didn't say I wasn't going to interrogate him, Sets," she retorted, "just that I'm not going to cut off any toes or shove bits of wood beneath his fingernails. I may hit him a few times to get him talking, but that's it." She smiled suddenly. "Actually, I may hit him _several_ times. He made me ruin a perfectly good pair of shoes, and I don't think I can forgive him for that."

Setsuna frowned, thinking that, as always, Mina's joviality was entirely inappropriate. Would the blonde be able to joke around if she'd thought this through and realized how it would have to end? "And after that? You can't keep him here, Mina, and you can't set him loose. What will you do with him?"

Mina shrugged, not seeming even slightly concerned over this. She only stared down into her coffee mug, lips bending in a frown. "I suppose it would be best if I killed him," she muttered, golden eyes still weary but unflinching. There was so little emotion in her voice that she might just as easily have been deciding whether or not to go to the grocery store. "He refuses to eat real food, and without any emotions to feed from, he's just going to starve to death anyway." She caught her bottom lip in her perfect teeth, absently worried at the skin. "I'm not so cruel that I'd make him suffer that way, Sets. Execution would be a mercy."

Setsuna's wine-colored eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. As little as she liked the callous, matter-of-fact way Mina was speaking, she knew the girl's words were true enough. Both Mina and Setsuna had spent too many years learning to distance themselves from their emotions, to bury their feelings so deeply within themselves that not even the mind-leeching Styx could access their pain. And since nobody else ever came out this far, their captive was entirely without a food source. How long could he survive under these conditions? A week? Two? As ugly a death as that would be, Mina's way really was kinder. Still, shouldn't the senshi of love be a little more bothered by the situation than she apparently was? Torturing one man to save others was one thing, but couldn't Mina at least _pretend _to be reluctant about it?

Mina blinked suddenly, finally meeting Setsuna's gaze, catching the disapproval lingering in her fellow senshi's face. "Don't look at me like that, Sets," she said, though her voice was still unnaturally calm. "You've known me for too long to believe I'd _want _to kill him. I just don't see any other way."

Setsuna was still frowning, not quite believing her but trying to find an alternative anyway. "What of Nirali? She's one of his kind. Perhaps she can get through to him, keep him from starving himself before we can find something else to do with him."

Mina didn't even take the time to think about that, though, being Mina, perhaps it had already occurred to her. "No," she said. "Nirali is only just getting used to living as a human. If we throw her back into the influence of her own people, she might lose that, and then we might lose _her_. It's not worth the risk, and not just because she knows too much about us. I won't do that to Mac, or to her." She grunted. "Besides, Nirali is either a traitor or a dead woman, to them. Either way, that man upstairs isn't going to believe a thing she says."

Mina's logic was faultless, though Setsuna took some small comfort in the senshi's determination to protect their former enemy and the human lover she'd chosen over her own people. Mina certainly had no reason to keep Nirali from harm, not when the woman had once tried to kill them both. Setsuna knew Mina had only spared the former assassin because she'd seen the potential for humanity in the woman, and because she'd also wanted to preserve the love Nirali had found in spite of everything. Was this a sign that Mina wasn't quite as emotionally deadened as she often seemed? Perhaps there was hope left, after all…

Mina suddenly set her mug on the kitchen counter, turned back to her friend and instantly dashed the hope that hadn't even fully formed within Setsuna's heart. "There's no sense wasting any more time, Sets. My headache isn't going to go away, and I might as well start the interrogation now, while he's still strong enough to answer." She turned and walked out of the kitchen, pausing only long enough to glance back over her shoulder at her fellow warrior. "Coming?"

Setsuna's features were set in stone as she followed.

_How can she be so casual about all of this? So much for Mina's humanity…_

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"I'm sorry, but I don't have anything new for you. As far as I can tell, this girl doesn't exist anywhere."

The voice on the other end of the phone was a little too professional and a little too calm, though there was also a hint of compassion in the words. Still, it wasn't what the tall, silver-haired and silver-eyed man holding the receiver wanted to hear. The tall man sighed, hanging his head though he had long since stopped expecting anything else, reaching up to run slender fingers over his handsome, weary face. _Three months_, he mused tiredly, _and except for the oddest dream I've ever had, still no trace of Mina. Where could she be? _"Are you certain you've exhausted every possibility? She might have traveled under a different name, or disguised herself in some way."

The detective didn't seem to take offense at the question, though a man less sure of his skills might have. He only grunted, very little irritation or offense creeping into his response. "What kind of detective would I be if I hadn't already thought of that?" he retorted. He also sighed, the sound loud enough that Malachite could hear it quite clearly, even over the phone. "Think about what you're saying, Malachite. If this girl of yours was clever enough to change her name and disguise her appearance, don't you think she'd also be clever enough to pick a disguise so believable that even her own mother wouldn't recognize her? And if that was the case," he added, "it wouldn't matter that I had every airport and bus station in the entire city swarming with my men for weeks on end. They'd never recognize her, either."

He paused, then pushed on, knowing his stoic and taciturn client wouldn't want anything but the truth, no matter how unpleasant or unwelcome it might be. "For that matter," he said, "there are a thousand and one other ways she could have gotten out of the country. If she's even half as resourceful as you and her father think she is, she'd also be more than capable of finding some other form of transportation, one that wouldn't necessarily leave a paper trail for us to follow." He paused again, considering the matter once more. "Of course, that's assuming she actually left Japan. We don't really have any evidence that she did, you know. For all your insistence to the contrary, she might just be holed up somewhere in the city, having a good laugh at our expense."

"She's not in Japan."

The other man didn't miss a beat, though he also didn't miss the certainty in Malachite's voice. "And how would you know that, exactly? You've already admitted that you don't really know the first thing about her, or even why she left. How, then, can you guess where she'd go?"

The silver-eyed man shrugged, though of course the detective couldn't see the gesture. "I just know," he answered quietly, the chill now in his voice meant to discourage any more questioning along this line. He understood Detective Rawlik's skepticism, sometimes even shared it, but he also couldn't shake the certainty that the love of his life was not in the country. Something inside had been telling him for three months that Mina was not anywhere near, and even if he hadn't had too much faith in his own instincts to doubt them, he firmly believed that three months of searching should have been enough to find her if she'd still been in the country.

Detective Rawlik grunted, but Malachite's message had been clear enough, and he didn't push the issue. "Fine," he said. "She's not in Japan. Any other ideas?"

Malachite hesitated, knowing how pointless it would be to search an entire world for one girl, especially when that girl was so determined to stay hidden. "England, maybe. I know she lived there when she was a child." He sighed again, feeling a headache beginning behind his eyes. "I believe she was also in America for a few years, when she was very young. She might have been born there, though I'm not certain. I'll ask her father, the next time I see him."

The detective was quiet for a moment, considering. "You do that. I'll start contacting some of my colleagues in America and in England. It's a place to start, anyway, even if it's a long shot." He grunted yet again, a sound so familiar by now that Malachite was coming to believe it was his favorite form of communication. "In the meantime, you see what else you can dig up in Tokyo. Keep hounding her friends, her neighbors. _Somebody _has to know where she's gone."

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The prisoner wasn't talking. Mina didn't know if it was because he was stronger than she'd given him credit for, or if he simply didn't know the answers to her questions, but whatever the reason, she'd gotten nothing from him. He hadn't been moved by her demands or her threats or the promises she would actually have kept, hadn't faltered even when she'd finally begun to hit him. He'd only glared up at her, such pure hatred in his eyes that she never doubted, even for a moment, how much he wished for her death. Had their positions been reversed, she knew, she would already be dead.

Mina wasn't exactly intimidated by that, of course, and she met his glare easily enough, thinking only that he was hardly the first to want her death. So many others had tried to kill her, over the years, that she honestly didn't care that one more threat had popped up. Nor did she return the alien's fury, though she had every reason to. There was no anger in her, no fear or irritation or anything else. All of this—his hatred and the circumstances that had led to it, the evil he hadn't even bothered to hide within his eyes—was nothing to her. _He _was nothing, just one more stumbling block in a path that was turning out to be longer than she'd thought it would be. And as she stepped closer to him, slender fingers curling into a fist that instantly connected with his jaw, she still felt nothing. Even the fact that her actions were more befitting a common thug than an immortal warrior failed to concern her, because as much as she might hate the idea of beating someone for information, it was just something she had to do. Her actions were necessary, in her eyes, and that was the only justification she needed.

Mina sighed, sending another blow to the man's face, silently watching as blood spurted from his split lip and onto her floor. He didn't look well, did her prisoner, though of course that was to be expected. She'd been careful to keep from causing permanent damage, but she hadn't been gentle, and the man's face was a mess. His skin was a rather unpalatable mix of black and purple and mottled green bruises, and one of his eyes was swelling partially shut. She'd broken his nose at some point, and a second stream of crimson was flowing down his chin, splattering onto the floor. He was breathing heavily, long past the point where he could hide his pain, though Mina couldn't bring herself to care about that, either. This creature had long since ceased to be a man at all in her eyes, though technically he hadn't ever been one, and he probably deserved far worse.

Setsuna didn't see it the same way. The other woman was standing off to one side, and while she hadn't yet made a move to stay Mina's hand or even to question the prisoner herself, her expression was very grim. Mina didn't know what she was thinking, though she suspected that Setsuna was peering into the future, trying to find something that would justify Mina's actions. The blonde paused for a moment, turning speculative eyes to the other woman, wondering if Setsuna had found anything but not willing to ask. Part of her simply didn't want to know the answer, because even she, emotionally detached as she had become, would have hated herself if she'd known she was beating a man for nothing. Still, Setsuna would have told her if this wasn't necessary, wouldn't she?

Regardless of whether or not it was, the blonde knew Setsuna didn't approve of what she was doing. The senshi of time could be as brutal as anyone, but while this had essentially been Setsuna's suggestion, it wasn't her kind of thing. Setsuna was meant to watch and remember, to interfere indirectly if at all, and she hadn't been trained for this level of violence, the way Mina had. For Mina, this was just another form of battle, and she couldn't quite understand why Setsuna seemed to think it should be harder for her. True, her opponent couldn't defend himself, and maybe that did make it dishonorable in many ways, but as often as Mina had to kill and injure and maim, she couldn't let herself be limited by such simplistic morals. She was surprised that Setsuna allowed herself that luxury.

Mina sighed again as Setsuna looked up and met her eyes, the frown in that purple gaze so intense that Mina almost cringed. Why couldn't Setsuna understand that compared to what this man had intended for the human race, a beating was nothing at all?

The slender turned back to her captive, noting the way his head seemed to fall onto his chest. Was he unconscious already? She hadn't tried to curb the more-than-human strength in her blows, but he also wasn't human enough to need that. He certainly shouldn't have broken so easily. She cocked her head to one side, fingers still balled into fists, her own expression not changing in the slightest as she waited for some indication of life. The man accommodated her quickly enough, the slightest grimace of pain marring his elongated features through the blood.

Mina's own features still didn't change, though she paused for a moment before lashing out again. She struck him across the nose, hearing the sickening but unmistakable sound of shattered bone being ground down further. The man cried out, at that, and while Mina continued to be unaffected, she immediately pulled her hand back, flicking her wrist to rid herself of the blood now coating her knuckles. She watched, completely dispassionate, as the droplets splattered to the floor, joining the puddle already there. She wondered, absently, if she would ever be able to get the stain out of the wooden floorboards.

The man was practically hyperventilating by now, but Mina didn't hit him again. She only stared at him, weariness seeping once again into her golden eyes. "I don't want to keep hitting you," she told her prisoner, voice frank, "but I don't understand why you won't tell me anything. It's not like I'm asking for much—just a few names, a few facts. Is it worth this much pain to keep that from me?" The man didn't respond, and Mina sighed. "What a waste," she said, and even her lyrical voice was completely flat. "You mean absolutely nothing to them, yet you're still willing to endure all of this just to protect them. Why? What kind of loyalty can you possibly feel for a queen who feels no loyalty in return?"

Mina stared hard at the man, but she hadn't really expected an answer, and she didn't get one…or at least not one she could have prepared herself for, because although the next voice to sound through the room was male, it _wasn't _the captive's.

"Gods, Mina, what am I going to do with you?"

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**Reader Responses:**

**Daydream24: **Why thank you! Your compliments are flattering and very much appreciated! I sincerely hope to hear from you again.

**A. Lee: **Yes, angst. Do I ever write anything else? You'd be shocked if you actually knew me, though, because I'm probably one of the most cheerful people on the planet. Even I don't know where the angst comes from.

Don't worry about it. Your rambling is far more coherent than most people ever get. You're too intelligent to ever sound like an idiot. Me, on the other hand…

Yes, but Mal thought it was a dream, remember? I don't know about you, but I usually have aliens and green monkeys in my dreams. After a while, it stops meaning anything.

Duly noted! I'll see if I can get another chapter out soon (though soon is such a relative term for me). I can't promise to kill off TPLI soon, though. Everybody knows TPLI is Ace, and I have to give Mina time to get close to him and then Mal a chance or two to get really jealous. He'll be there until the end of the fic, I'm afraid.

Loved hearing from you, as always. You're hilarious and intelligent, and that's reason enough for me to adore you!

**Adyen: **Yes, though I guess it's not intentional. You're actually a very funny person, and I love that about you.

**JadesRose: **Well, I suppose I'm to blame for that. I'm just absolutely not willing to cut her a break. I'm so mean…

And, yes, that's the point. I want Mina to the breaking point before Ace shows up and relieves some of her stress and loneliness. I figure that's the only way she'll ever be able to accept him in her life.

And I will read your updated story this weekend. I have too much going on just now, but I'm extremely eager to see what other bits of genius you've come up with.

**Koosei: **Of course she'll be okay. I don't write stories that don't have happy endings.

Why was Raye there? Can't tell you. It's a very long and complicated explanation that involves too many spoilers to be revealed just yet. I won't be explaining that until nearly the end of the fic, frankly. I apologize if not knowing bugs you!

_Keeps reading reviews. _Oh, never mind. Somebody else guessed it, so I might as well tell you: Minako and Raye are from the future (as opposed to Minako being Minako-from-the-past), and Raye is there to help Minako get into Mina's head. That may not make a whole lot of sense now, but it will…hopefully.

Loved hearing from you. You're an angel!

**Optical Illusions: **Nope, no heart at all. Just the way I like her! Seriously, though, I want Mina to be as closed off as possible. That way she'll reach her breaking point sooner, and when she does finally fall apart, Ace will be there to pick up the pieces. The way I see it, it's the only way she'll trust him or accept him in her life. Does that make sense?

Thank you for the compliments, though! It's all the motivation I need!

**Animerocksjapanrocks**"Heaps" good? That's too funny, though I honestly can't explain why. I'm glad you like my story enough to keep reviewing. That's incredibly flattering!

**Minako-chan4: **I'm incredibly honored, Minako-chan, that you would take the time to review this. You're one of my favorite authors, and while I wish I didn't sound quite so much like a groupie of yours, that's incredible motivation.

And, yes, I realize that there are about a thousand loose ends. It's intentional, if annoying for all of us. I'll try to rectify that gap soon, though. And he has gone to her friends—I just haven't worked that in yet.

I'm glad that you remember my story well enough, even though I go months between updates, to comment on things like that. Once again, I'm flattered.

**Eagle8819: **I'm glad it's getting more interesting for you, as opposed to the 'less' I always fear. I have a tendency to ramble, and I'm overjoyed that you haven't lost interest. Thank you!

You know, you're the only one who got that. Yes, Minako and Raye are from the future, and Raye was there helping Minako get into Mina's head. I'm glad you're still in suspense even though you've seen right through me!

Hope to hear from you again. You're reviews are great motivation.


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